A Story of Convenience
by Mia Fitzpatrick
Summary: Because life can never be just black and white and if you insist upon it, the grays will kick your ass until you see things right. ToFuu
1. Random

**Disclaimer:** It's not mine

**Author's Notes:** Hello! I am back. With a story. I'll let the story speak for itself. Tell me what you think! (Yes, it's another WiP)

"I hate weddings."

Simple, straight to the point and completely random words, just like the woman who uttered them. One flick of her wrist to the bartender and just like that another cosmopolitan was in front of her and with ironic grace she lifted the crimson liquid to her equally crimson lips. Must've been her eighth or ninth serving, discounting the two bottles of beer she downed when they had dinner at some off-road steakhouse earlier that evening. Kirisawa Fuuko can definitely hold her liquor.

"I would've never guessed," Mikagami Tokiya remarked without intention as he smirked into his own drink.

"What makes you think I'm having fun?" she asked.

He eyed the three empty stemmed glasses in front of her the bartender was yet to clean up in answer.

"I drink to numb the pain," she replied with a mocking laugh.

"And they say I'm the surly one," he said with a snort.

Fuuko swung forty five degrees on her barstool and looked at him disbelievingly as she held the thin stem of her glass precariously between her thumb and index finger. "Don't tell me you're enjoying yourself?"

Tokiya turned to face her. "They're our friends, and even though I find their choice in China completely detestable and tacky, I can't help but be happy for them." He ended his sentence with a smirk, sometimes he thought that they spent far too much time together if they could manage to completely switch personalities on occasion. Still, turnabouts like this were few and far in between and he relished them every time, it was fun being friendly, happy and caring.

She slapped a hand on his thigh and exclaimed, "That's not what I meant! Of course I'm happy for Recca and Yanagi, it's just that I hate weddings, on principle."

"And what principle would that be?"

"The principle that everyone I know is getting married and I'm going to die alone," she deadpanned.

"That's not a principle," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, leave me to my self-pity," she said with another whack to his thigh.

Tokiya looked over her head and spotted the blissfully happy bride and groom coming over to them. "Well, can you manage looking all perky and jovial for a few minutes as the newlyweds are coming over?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth did the couple reach their side, with matching shit-eating grins on their faces.

"Hey, you two missed dinner!" Recca greeted.

"No shit, Sherlock," Fuuko answered.

Tokiya pointed to his purple-haired companion. "She wanted steak. All you had was this vegan bu--…buffet." He was about to say bullshit but remembered the vegan bullshit was all Yanagi's caprice. He can truthfully say that he was no longer in love with her but he still held a soft spot for the girl.

"I feel like steak right now, all that broccoli left a bad taste in my mouth," Recca said. Still can't get the foot out of his mouth, Tokiya thought.

"You didn't like the food, Recca-kun?" Yanagi asked with a pout.

"Of course I did, princess, I just wish there were more dead animals included in the menu," he kidded.

They must've matured vastly in the years Tokiya and Fuuko were away from them because in the next few seconds Yanagi did not kick Recca in the shin and the boy did not end up whining like a spoiled little swot. Instead she just playfully pinched his nose and he placed a light kiss on her temple as they sweetly smiled at each other.

Fuuko rolled her eyes and said jokingly, "Oh gods, you two are still acting like high school sweethearts, please get out of my face."

"You're just jealous," Recca retorted.

"Pfft," was her only response.

"I'm about to throw the bouquet, I expect my maid of honor to be out there and fighting to catch it," Yanagi said before turning her back and making her way to the floor, Recca closely behind, a hand on the small of her back, still acting like her ninja.

"How much is she going to hate me if we get out of here right now?" Fuuko said as soon as the two were out of earshot.

"She probably will not make you godmother of her first child, which isn't too bad an idea since you proved to be the most useless maid of honor in history," Tokiya offered.

"Am I a pain?" She looked truly perturbed.

"Honestly? Yes. It's not like she's asking you to perform an interpretive dance to the tune of 'Fixing a Broken Heart' while wearing pink taffeta and a tiara made of a variety of colourful vegetables. Just smile a bit and act like you're attending her wedding, not her funeral," he advised.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, go catch that fucking bouquet."

Fuuko smiled up at him in thanks and kissed his cheek before bounding off towards the dance floor where ladies of all ages had flocked to. She stood out in the crowd, purple tresses glistening underneath chandelier lights that illuminated the room with a candle-like quality. Of the bridal entourage, she was the only one to forego the ubiquitous chiffon shawl and sanguinely sauntered around in her bare-backed and provocatively low necked red gown. She had never been shy about her body and there really was nothing to be shy about.

He walked closer to where the main action was. Yanagi looked once over her shoulder and he didn't miss the small smile on her face when the bride saw her maid of honor in the crowd. He watched on as Fuuko made pathetically fake attempts to catch the bouquet and the exaggerated sigh she made when a tall woman in a lavender gown claimed it. She turned around and he knew she was searching him out; it didn't take long before warm brown eyes met cold blue ones. She smiled and waved as if to say, 'There, I did it,' and he just winked in response. Years ago this would've been an odd occurrence. But everyone who knew them now would tell you that it was just normal. They were after all, friends. And well, Tokiya was admittedly fond of her. Living with someone for the last eight years, you tend to develop a fondness for them.

Kami, had it been eight years? It certainly didn't feel like it. Whatever little quirk of Fuuko's that he learned to hate over the years, it didn't erase the fact that having her for a roommate meant never having a boring moment in his life.

It all started out eight years ago, a year after he graduated from Tokyo University and settled into city life, when he received a phone call from one Kirisawa Fuuko. She mentioned something about an interview at a PR firm in Tokyo and wondered if she could crash on his couch for a day or two to save on hotel expenses. He initially acted as if he would rather ingest poison than allow her to stay over but the truth was he missed his friends and even having the one who constantly tortured him visit for a while would be, well, nice.

She got the job and he had an extra room. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement but then both saw the benefits of having a roommate, financially it was ideal. And she was fun to have around. Three years later, after they had promotions and more comfortable salaries they moved into a more posh apartment with a working heating system and a sup that didn't smell of falafel. In the eight years they lived together, neither expressed desires nor plans of moving out. It's not like he had plans of marriage, he never had a tryst that lasted more than a month and she…he never really believed she ever loved any of the men she had those long-term relationships with. She was just so tepid with them and he always pictured that when she fell in love, it would be scorching.

He was jolted out of his trip down memory lane when he felt a strong pat on his back.

"Domon." He didn't have to turn around to figure out who it was. It was the strong smell of pepper that gave the bundle of muscles away.

"Mikagami," the other returned.

"How's life treating you?" Tokiya asked nonchalantly as if he'd seen him just yesterday and this wasn't their first meeting in almost two years. They were that kind of friends.

"Been busy with the wrestling tour; hope I could take a break in the winter and come home for a while, I kind of miss it here, all peaceful and quiet, away from all the lights. You and Fuuko have plans of coming home for a long break?"

Tokiya shook his head. "Not for a while. There's a lot of work at the firm and I know Fuuko just got assigned a new account by her PR Company; maybe next year."

Domon took a sip from his bottled water. "Yeah, you two always say that." His view traversed the crowd and landed on Fuuko who had her back turned to them. She was talking to a mousy-looking brunette who looked somewhat familiar to Tokiya. He shrugged; he figured she was an old classmate from Nashikiri.

"Say," Domon interrupted his thoughts once again, "Fuuko's looking hotter and hotter every time I see her. Still single?"

Tokiya smirked. "Yes, and you still don't have a chance."

Domon snorted. "Never said I did, man. Just wondering why you two still aren't together."

Tokiya raised a well-arched eyebrow. "Now why in the world would you ever think that?"

Domon looked at him as if he were retarded. "You're living with an extremely hot girl who has an affinity for wearing short and flimsy negligees; don't tell me you never wished you could bend her over the kitchen table and fuck her into oblivion."

"Of course not, she's my friend. And don't be crude."

"ARE YOU GAY?!"

"Why don't you scream louder, I don't think the Prime Minister of Japan heard you," Tokiya returned with a sneer.

Domon looked at him sheepishly before continuing, "Come on, man, it's just that every male in here is jealous of you because they think you two are doing it, couple or not. I just can't believe you never even thought of it."

Tokiya sighed. "They can believe what they want to believe, she's my roommate and my, correction, our friend. I try not to think of her that way."

"Try?" Domon prodded with a curious eyebrow.

"You know those white, linen, button-up shirts I used to favor in high school?"

"Yeah?"

"She loves to lounge around the house wearing those with only her white cotton panties underneath. Plain torture, I tell you."

"I pity you man, really," Domon said sarcastically.

"Shut up."

"Can the muscle brain and the beanpole please proceed to the front of the ballroom?" Fuuko's high pitched tone reverberated through the microphone. Domon and Tokiya simultaneously turned and spotted the she-devil they were speaking of waving manically at them to come over. Recca and Yanagi were behind her and an all-grown up Ganko was walking hand in hand with Kagerou towards where they were.

The two men walked across the ballroom and came to a halt in front of the woman who had so rudely summoned them.

"What do you want?" Tokiya asked tersely.

"Hokage group picture," she explained simply and without further ado dragged an arm each of the two men as they stood behind Recca and Yanagi, sitting on a long bench with Ganko ang Kagerou flanking their sides.

"Smile, bitch," Fuuko playfully reminded Tokiya.

The flash of the camera promptly came at the count of three.

"I don't do that, remember?" he whispered near her ear.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she joshed.

Tokiya was about to open his mouth for a retort when Domon interrupted him to tell everyone, "I booked the penthouse for all of us tonight, what do you guys think about an kicking it old school and pulling an all nighter, just like old times?"

"We never had sleepovers in the old times," Tokiya reminded him humorlessly.

"Shut up freezeboy, I was just trying to say it's rare for us to get together like this, might as well make the most of it, right?" Domon said.

Fuuko chimed in, "Um, Domon, it's Recca and Yanagi's wedding night, so I'm thinking they'd want to be alone? You know, wink wink, nudge nudge?"

"No, I think it's a wonderful idea!" Yanagi happily countered, "We're leaving for Phuket tomorrow for a week-long honeymoon anyhow and I really missed you all so much! I'm sure Recca-kun won't mind."

"I would, actually," Recca offered futilely.

"You wouldn't, honey, don't you miss your friends?" Yanagi said through clenched teeth.

"Of course I do honey, I would trade in a passionate night with my lovely new bride for a sleepover with two men and an extremely volatile tomboy any day," Recca answered with a stiff smile.

"I knew you'd see it my way, darling," Yanagi answered as she slipped her arm around Recca's.

Fuuko couldn't help but giggle and Tokiya showed the slightest signs of being amused.

"Don't forget about me!" Ganko squealed. And even though she's all grown up and filling out her bridesmaid's gown nicely, Tokiya still can't think of her as anything older than eight.

"So, we're all in?" Domon confirmed.

Tokiya shrugged. Fuuko answered for him, "That would be a yes."

Recca and Yanagi walked away to make a thank-you round for their other guests while Domon went to make arrangements for their little Hokage reunion later that night. Ganko went back to her table to chat with her school friends.

Tokiya gently placed a hand on Fuuko's back and guided her towards the elevator. They decided to go up to their rooms first and change into something more comfortable.

"Did you know that everyone in this room thinks we're sleeping with each other?" he whispered to her.

"Really?"

"Really. It's all speculation though."

"Our friends?"

"Domon at least thinks we should get together."

She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button marked '14'.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him about how hot you look wearing my old shirts."

"And?"

"And how much of a torture it is watching you sashay around the house practically naked."

"Is it that much of a torture?"

"Yes, and Fuuko…"

"Yes?"

"Stop it with this coy bullshit, we're alone now."

And with that he pushed her up against the wall and crushed his lips against hers.

_To be contnued..._


	2. Come On Eileen

**Disclaimer: **If I owned FoR, there would be ToFuu porn in every chapter. Unfortunately, there is not. Don't you wish I owned FoR? Chapter title is courtesy of Dexy's Midnight Runners.

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this took a while to come out. To be completely honest with you I struggled with this...because I had completely no idea where to take the story! Seriously. Should consider thinking things through before bringing something out. In other news, I am currently writing another FoR story that's more on the Action/Adventure side. We're sort of lacking in that department. Also, I am on an eighties soundtrack right now, so are the chapters. More notes in the end.

**Warning:** I admit, the first parts border on R, be warned. Also, if this fic suddenly disappears, it would mean I was unable to control myself and moved it to either M section or AFFdotnet. Hehe.

**Chapter Two: Come on Eileen  
**

He can't explain how it started, he can remember how, in great detail, but explain…no matter how intelligent he was and no matter how much time and thought he devoted in trying to, he still can't. And he'd been trying for the last four years.

He remembered that it was a Thursday and it was roughly five thirty-three in the afternoon. He brought home a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate his promotion to junior executive at his accounting firm. She greeted him in an oversized white t-shirt that hid all of her curves and a pair of white socks. She was eating pre-made cookie dough right out of the jar and the next minute she was crying about how she found her then boyfriend…what was his name? Taka? Yeah that was it, she found Taka in bed with some foreign girl. And then they were drinking because she needed the alcohol to cure her broken heart and he was really still rather giddy about his promotion. And here the details get blurry but he remembered the important parts, like how she smelled like cookie dough and how her lips were so fucking pouty and red and it was just ridiculous how he never noticed it before. They were well past the age of having delusions about love and sex being mutually exclusive and they were well past the alcohol limit when you can think straight but not quite close to when you don't know what you're doing; the perfect amount of drunk so to speak. One minute she was telling him about a story she read with this guy who receives a strange phone call and a passage that neither had an entrance nor an exit and the next they were kissing and he was touching her in places he'd only ever imagined touching in brief daydreams. He didn't know who made the first move; he was convinced they both did. He just knew that neither of them could stop.

The first time wasn't perfect, it definitely wasn't a scene right out of the movies where they shared intense gazes and ripped off each other's clothes before making passionate, animalistic love. He actually remembered laughing a lot because he discovered that even when she's about to have sex, Fuuko was chatty. Especially when she stared at him in awe and said, "You have knees." And she went on to explain how she never imagined he had knees because she never saw them before since he always wore trousers around her and she always figured he was knee-less. And he just started laughing madly but then she lifted her shirt over her head and he found out that she wasn't wearing any form of underwear, and well, that tends to shut men up, even if they were men named Mikagami Tokiya.

"What are you thinking about?" he heard her voice beyond the realm of his memories.

His eyes remained closed when he answered, "Nothing."

He could hear her smirking at him. "Liar, you're incapable of not thinking."

Tokiya turned his head to the side and found her standing by the left side of the bed as she dried her hair with a towel, skin glistening with rivulets of water and he could smell the scent of fresh water and soap coming from her. It was a soothing scent.

"I was thinking about work," he lied as he openly ogled her arse. He had never really been an arse-man until he saw hers.

Fuuko dropped the towel on the floor and climbed into bed. He didn't mind that she was wetting his sheets, it's not like he had to clean them the next day. "Hey, we had a deal, no thinking about work this weekend."

"Yeah, forgot about that," he mumbled before he pulled her head towards him and kissed her. He let his hand trail down her sides before cupping the round globes he'd been studying earlier. He was about to flip them over, planning on a second round when Fuuko placed her hands on his chest and pulled away.

"They're waiting for us, we have to go," she explained.

Tokiya refused to let go of his hold on her. "It's going to be an excruciatingly boring night, at least leave me with some happy thoughts to mull over for the duration of it." And he tried to convince her with his tongue, tasting the water in the dip beneath her throat.

She suppressed a moan but didn't stop him from his ministrations, her own hand tracing small circles on his back. "As tempting as that may sound, we've been gone for a while already and you really don't want them catching us in this position."

He let go of the earlobe caught between his teeth. "Maybe I do, we'd give them a free show, teach Recca a thing or two about what to do with his wife," he said, interspersing words with kisses until he reached a pert nipple and brought it inside his mouth.

"Mi-chan…I just…don't think…they'd understand…our…arrangement…" she countered even as she arched into his mouth.

"They won't notice if we're late for some time," he said, not willing to give this up just yet.

She sighed and he knew he had won. "Fifteen minutes."

Tokiya smirked into her skin before pushing her down on the bed once more.

Half an hour later they knocked on the door to Domon's rented space trying to desperately right themselves after having engaged in some last minute groping in the elevator like a couple of sex-crazed teenagers. Kami, they really need to have more control around each other.

Ganko answered the door wearing pink pajama bottoms with little hearts on them and a white t-shirt that had the words 'CUTIE' splashed across it in bold pink letters.

"What took you guys so long?!" Fuuko's little sister exclaimed but didn't bother to wait for an explanation as she turned her back on them, wordlessly asking them to follow her in.

Tokiya and Fuuko followed her to the living area. Recca and Yanagi had monopolized the couch, with Recca lying on his back and his hime between his legs, head resting on his chest. Both had seemingly dozed off. Ganko took a seat on the carpeted floor. She and Domon were in the middle of a heated game of monopoly, although it seems Ganko's blue houses were slowly taking over Domon's red ones. As Domon's piece landed in Parkway, Ganko gave out a triumphant 'Hah!' and collected money from the bigger man as she dunked her hand in a bowl of buttered popcorn. There were assorted munchies scattered in bowls on the floor and the coffee table, chocolate bars, chips, peanut butter cups, candy and fruit. Probably for Yanagi. The television was on and turned to a music station, the volume set very low and he could hear New Order's 'Blue Monday' faintly.

"You hungry nee-chan?" Ganko asked, looking up to Fuuko.

"There's actual food in the mini-kitchen," Domon said, pointing toward the Venetian doors.

"Maybe later," Fuuko answered as she took the spot beside Ganko. Tokiya decided to sit on an unoccupied ottoman and pulled it near her.

Yanagi stirred from her sleep and welcomed the newcomers with a sleepy smile. "Hey, we've been waiting for you two, what happened?"

"Oh, I wanted to take a shower first and then I got a call from work, just needed to update some things," Fuuko lied. She'd gotten quite good at that, Tokiya noted.

"Wow, never pictured you to be the career-driven type," Recca mouthed, eyes still closed.

"And what exactly did you picture me to be?" Fuuko asked.

"On the cover of Playboy," Recca retorted with a smirk. She walked right into that one.

Fuuko threw a shoe at him, expertly hitting the bridge of his nose and managing not to touch even a hair of Yanagi's. "You're still a perverted jerk, Yanagi, why did you marry this?"

"Love is blind, and so am I," Yanagi answered quickly.

"Hey!"

The whole room erupted into a raucous laughter. When they had settled down Yanagi returned her attention to Fuuko. "And what about you, missy, how're you and that boyfriend of yours?"

"Huh?" Fuuko blinked stupidly.

"Shinji? That was his name right?" Yanagi reminded her.

Tokiya watched Fuuko's reaction. She didn't seem the least bit perturbed when he was brought up. Over him so fast, ne? "Oh him, yeah, we broke up a month ago."

"You don't seem too heartbroken about it. Anyone new perhaps?" Domon piped in.

Fuuko waved a hand in front of her face as if swatting a mosquito away. "Nah, I'm staying off the dating scene for a while." Tokiya tried to suppress a smug smirk, of course, not while either of them was seeing someone else; that was the rule. He never hid from her the fact that he hoped that it would be for a very long while.

He just nodded his head let her off the hook. "How about you Mikagami? Seeing anyone?"

"Sorry Ishijima, I'm not interested," the silver-haired man replied curtly.

Domon flung a throw pillow at his head. "Jackass, that's not what I meant."

Tokiya deflected it effortlessly. "Maybe." He cast a surreptitious glance at Fuuko that no one else caught.

"Hot?"

"More than you could imagine," he said coolly and flashed that inconspicuous smile that he knew infuriated Fuuko.

"Does she have a sister?" Domon asked.

"I doubt she'd be interested."

Fuuko couldn't help the little snort that came out of her nose. "I'm getting hungry. I think I'll go check out the kitchen."

"I'm coming with you," Tokiya said calmly and followed her.

As soon as he heard the lock of the door click he immediately placed his hands on his Fuuko's hips, pulling her flush against him and placed a kiss on her exposed shoulder.

"So just how 'hot' is this girl you're maybe seeing?" she asked evenly as if the kisses he lavished on her skin didn't have the slightest effect on her. Well, two can play at that game, Tokiya thought.

"Raging, could never take my hands off her," he replied before burying his head in the junction between her neck and shoulder.

"And what would you do to her, if she were here," she said in a husky tone, trying vainly to keep her breathing even.

"I'd splay her over the kitchen counter, spread chocolate sauce all over her gorgeous body and lick every last drop off her," he whispered in her ear as he massaged her breasts through her camisole.

And he was half-tempted to push through with that fantasy if it weren't for the footsteps approaching. They sprung apart like repelling magnets and Tokiya silently cursed the unknown intruder.

"You guys found the grub?" Domon's low baritone resonated from behind them.

"Unless we were blind, I'd doubt we'd have too much trouble finding it since it's laid out on the counter in plain sight. Unless of course this is your idea of a discreet hiding place," Tokiya answered agitatedly as he tried to calm his nerves.

"Nice to know you still have such a pleasant personality," Domon answered with an easygoing smirk.

Fuuko couldn't help but snicker and just shrugged and waved Tokiya off when he glared at her.

"You really went all out, Domon, quite a nice spread you got here," she said as she reached for the platter of baked mussels.

"Comes with the territory of being rich and famous," the professional wrestler answered with a roguish wink.

"Please don't try to charm her, it's rather disgusting to watch," Tokiya said dryly.

Domon threw a stuffed mushroom at him in retaliation. "You guys want wine? I have some pinot around here, imported from the vineyards of California."

"I'll have a bottle please," Fuuko answered immediately.

"You?" Domon asked Tokiya.

"No thanks, she drinks enough for the both of us."

"Are you calling me an alcoholic?" the purple-haired woman snapped.

"No, I'm just saying you consume enough alcohol to fulfill a ship full of sailors."

"Same difference."

Domon rolled his eyes. "All right kids, break it up. I'll give you a glass of wine, Fuuko; that should leave subzero happy." As promised he handed a half full goblet of red pinot to Fuuko which the girl giddily accepted.

"And since when are you concerned about his happiness?" Fuuko teased.

"Ever since that unforgettable night we spent in the beaches of Cayman islands two summers ago," Domon said in a fit of playfulness.

Fuuko sprayed the mouthful of wine on the counter as she started laughing boisterously. Tokiya could only gag in response. "That's a horrible mental image gorilla."

Domon shook his head, after years of knowing him, he figured out how exactly to push Mikagami's buttons. "Anyhow, I was talking to Mikagami earlier; you guys really have no plans of coming home for a break anytime soon?"

"As much as I would like to, there really is no time," Tokiya answered readily. He looked to Fuuko for support but was surprised to find her mouth twisted in a contemplative moue. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"You've heard of the Seta Group of Companies right?" she spurted out.

"Yeah," Tokiya and Domon simultaneously said.

"Well, they recently hired our PR firm to handle the promotions for their new brand of gin, it's called Smileys. Anyway, they want to do little events all around Japan instead of just focusing on Tokyo. Guess which town is part of the itinerary?" she said, looking too smug for her own good.

"Ours, I would guess from that omniscient smirk on your face. However, I would like to remind you that you're handling the Shisheido campaign and this account would be small potatoes for you," he countered, knowing that she was just as ambitious as he was.

"Oh please, I don't need anymore high profile accounts to add to my CV. Besides, no one wants to take the rural jobs; everyone wants the gigs in Tokyo. The bosses will be more than happy to reassign me to it. It's perfect, I still get to earn my pay and at the same time I get to visit my hometown. Two birds? Here comes your one stone," she said, looking supremely happy with herself.

"And where does that leave me?" Tokiya eyed her wearily.

"You, sir, get to take a long overdue break. In the eight years you've been working for that company you have never taken one vacation leave or sick leave except for that one time you had food poisoning from eating too much oysters and even then we couldn't pry your laptop away from you," she said.

"I can't just take a vacation," he tried to reason, even though he knew it was useless. Once Fuuko sets her mind on something she will do anything to get it.

"Your boss has been trying to make you take a mandatory break for the last five years, he'd be happy to get rid of you for a month," she returned.

"A month?!"

"The project would last about a month, well into the new year." She shrugged.

"I can't just tell my boss that I'm going away for a month."

"Fine then, I'll tell Fujikawa-sama. He can't say no to me. He loves me."

Fujikawa-sama does in fact love Fuuko for reasons unbeknownst to Tokiya. She somehow managed to ingratiate herself into Tokiya's work life and he found that both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the charm she wove around his officemates seemed to trickle down to him, somehow making him more appealing to his bosses and that was always a good thing in office politics and a curse because he could never make a move on any woman in his workplace since everyone was under the impression that he and Fuuko were involved in a romantic relationship, no matter how many times he had tried to correct them.

"Mi-chan," she mewled while he tried to think of other options. He learned to love that nickname ever since the first time he heard her scream it while in the throes of ecstasy.

"I'm going to need two weeks to settle some things at work," he said in defeat.

"Yay!" Fuuko jumped to his side to give him a hug.

Domon was looking at him a bit too suspiciously for Tokiya's taste, as if he was seeing something he wasn't supposed to see. "It's settled then, I'll go tell the group." He stood up, wine bottle in one hand and a shrimp platter in another.

Fuuko was about to move away to go back to her stool but he held on to her wrist and maneuvered her to sit on his lap. "You realize we won't be able to get away with a lot of things while we're here. I expect you'll be staying at your house with Ganko and your mother, and from what I recall you have thin walls and you have a tendency to be very loud," he said as soon as he was sure Domon would not be able to hear them.

"You think with your other head too much," she mock chastised him.

"I can't help it, you're addictive," he whispered as he flicked a tongue in the shell of her ear and she shuddered in return.

"You're getting too attached to me, Mi-chan," she teased, running her fingers through his silver locks.

"I know, you've completely spoiled me for other women," he said in a joshing manner although he'd been wondering at the back of his mind just how much truth there was to his offhanded words.

"Such is the irresistible allure of the magnanimous Fuuko Kirisawa," she drawled out but couldn't hold in her giggles in the end, especially when Tokiya was softly caressing her ticklish spots. Giggles soon turned into soft moans as Tokiya ghosted his lips over the sensitive skin beneath her ear. He familiarly eased his hand under her skirt…

There was the slightest creak of hinges and the next thing he knew Fuuko was sitting on her arse on the floor.

Ganko poked her head in through the door to the mini-kitchen, "Hey nee-chan, Tokiya nii-san, Domon wants to know if you guys wanna do karaoke? Apparently he has some eighties classics and is looking forward to having some Billy Idol medley. What're you doing on the floor?"

"I slipped from my barstool, had a little too much wine," Fuuko readily explained.

"Right," Tokiya nodded as he held out a hand to help Fuuko up, "we'll be right there, Ganko."

"Okay," the blonde answered nonchalantly and disappeared from their sight.

"I have a niggling feeling that this is going to be happening a lot," Fuuko said with a glint of amusement in her eyes. Tokiya could only sigh before they both left the kitchen hoping no one noticed that they barely ate.

It was going to be a very long month.

_To be Continued..._

End notes and Thank you notes: The short story Fuuko describes above is Haruki Murakami's 'The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday's Women' which is an excellent story from an equally excellent writer (if you have not read Murakami, I suggest you start now.) Thank you so much for those who reviewed! _**malo **(this is weird, but I missed your reviews! Hee, I was so happy to see you were the first one, I just got so used to it. And yay I'm happy you liked the fic!) **larsha** (meeble, I know this is not soon but let's hope next chapter will be) **asianpearl **(thank you!)** mikaro** (they are and have been baby. Also, I've read your stories and I love them, will review soon for more details :)) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (I hope that was hot enough for you!) **abubi-chan** (you're very welcome! I'm glad you're happy with the story. About 'Just As You Are' it's in the backburner at the moment...because I don't know, I kind of like the way I left them and I don't want to bother them. Snippets and vignettes I definitely plan on writing, a full sequel is tentative right now) **obsessed-chan** (you know I'm gonna be testing Tokiya's control throughout this fic, right? evil laughter) **loujane14** (I've been so busy with work, I'm now getting used to balancing things because I seriously missing fanficcing. As for the two, well, I think you guys get the gist from this chapter) **Jomai **(here ya go!)** JamJam-chan **(I hope you liked this chapter!) **kazeshinobi **(thank you! I hope this chapter still piques your interest ) **ladylyris** (thank you! I'm glad you like my fics) **abacada **(I'm not sure, this is somewhat lime-ish, hope you're happy with it) **khryzle-chan **(Yo biotch, what's up? This chapter should be HOTTER! Hahahahah, I am restraining myself from going past the R limit, but man it's tempting) **yan-chyan** (hey girl! I missed you! I've been reading In 10 days and been bad at the reviewing thing, in other news, hope you liked this chapter, what with all the touching winks)** cLoTiHeArT** (glad you liked it!) **aite **(hope this is long enough for you!)  
_


	3. On Paper

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. "On Paper" which is the chapter's title is by The Three O' Clock

**Author's Notes: **I wrote this chapter...because I just wanted to show "them" and what they are in this fic. Hope you enjoy this.

**Thanks you notes:**_Thanks so much to my reviewers! You guys keep me going! _**Kyusetsuki Satsuki** (Oh forget about Mi-chan, I wonder how I'm going to restrain myself from writing smut!) **mizzy** (hee, he is such a hornball!) **cLoTiHeArT **(I'm glad you like Mi-chan! Thanks!) **alf05** (Aww, shucks, thanks! I'm glad you like the story!) **malo **(I have such a scene in my head...but you'll have to wait for it! Enjoy this chapter!) **abubi-chan **(thanks so much! Glad you like the story!) **mischkaa** (hahah, sexytime scenes, I love that! It reminds me of the Potterpuffs scenes with the naked time and all! Hee!) **JamJam-Chan** (I have a penchant for titling fics with song titles. Come On Eileen is an eighties classic by Dexys Midnight Runners, I love that song and I can't help but think of Tokiya when I hear 'That pretty red dress, my thoughts I confess verge on dirty'. Thanks for the review!) **l-shinogu** (Oh my, I'm really pleased that Just As You Are inspired you to write a fic, I've read some of it and I'm definitely very happy with it! Thanks so much for the review! Shall try to write as fast as possible) **Evil Riggs** (Thanks!) **mjsweet86** (Thanks! Hope you enjoy the chapter!) **HAHAAHA** (Don't tempt me! Hahah!) **ladylyris** (well, there will be third parties but not exactly for that purpose. Thanks for the review!) **khryzle-chan** (Yo, I left you a YM with my addy, did you get it? You know I'll be writing lemon just for you :p) **orientseas **(Thanks so much! I hope this chapter does not disappoint) **obsessed-chan** (It was kind of inspired by 'Granting Favors' but see what I didn't like in that fic is that Fuuko was so effing wide eyed and virginal. I mean, I wanted her to be a willing participant, come on, girl's no saint. Not you too! Everyone is tempting me! HAHAHHA) **kazeshinobi** (Ahh, the story in its completion shall have to suffice as answer, hee. Thanks for your review!)

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Three: On Paper**

It was the last Friday before they leave for their one month Tokyo reprieve, as Fuuko now referred to it, and she decided to attend one of the many parties her company throws out. Parties, events, social gatherings, whatever you may call it, was part and parcel of her job as an events manager/writer/line producer/scary woman with the headset who screams a lot when things don't get done. Fuuko rarely goes to these things nowadays, unless it was an event she was handling, she would be a definite no-show. Sure the first few years it was exciting. She gets into exclusive bars and restaurants, gets to brush shoulders with celebrities and rock stars alike (and she won't deny that she'd had her share of flings with rock stars, they were a weakness) not to mention the freebies and perks she gets from their sponsors and clients. But after a while it all became humdrum and frankly rather boring. It was the same people, same faces, same gossip, even same alcohol every time and things never quite move on; at least not things that she cares for. The only difference tonight was that this was her once assistant's first shot at organizing an event on her own and she wants to be supportive. And there was also Tokiya whom she managed to convince to tag-along. She figured since they'd be leaving early tomorrow morning she might as well bring her personal AA coach and designated driver to make sure she would make it home before midnight.

Fuuko grabbed Tokiya's hand as she pushed her way through the small crowd gathered in front of the entrance. The hulking man guarding the door wore a fitted black shirt, black trousers and a red velour jacket plus the bulky gold jewelry. The whole look screamed greasy pimp. He immediately beamed when he saw Fuuko coming through.

"Hey baby, didn't think you'd show tonight," he said silkily.

Fuuko tiptoed on her stilettos as she placed a kiss on his cheek. Tokiya didn't miss the man's hand as it slipped from her waist down to pinch her bottom. Fuuko just squeaked before slapping him on the arm playfully. "Come on, this is more like Yumi's coming out party more than anything. Of course I'd show."

"New boyfriend?" he said, nodding towards Tokiya.

"No, this is my roomie, Tokiya. Tokiya this is Akira, he guards doors," she said with a slight laugh.

"I hear a lot about you. Nice to see a face to associate with the name," Akira said. He motioned for Fuuko to come near and whispered something in her ear that Tokiya couldn't hear. Tokiya spotted him take out something small and shiny from his pocket and slipped it between Fuuko's precariously plunging cleavage. She only giggled before saying "Naughty boy," and pulled Tokiya inside.

"What the hell was that?" Tokiya asked once they were inside.

In response Fuuko took out the object Akira slipped inside her bra, it was a key. "He said that if I wanted to take advantage of you, he's got one of the private rooms upstairs reserved just for that."

Tokiya raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.

She snorted gracelessly. "What, you thought he was hitting on me?" Then she practically cackled before giving him a conspiratorial come hither with her index finger. "Akira's gay, he just likes to play up this tough, macho persona due to the nature of his work."

"Interesting," he said with a tone that conveyed he found the situation anything but.

It was an atypical setting; there were no neon lights and suffocating fog machines. The so-called bar was just an old traditional Japanese row house. You can barely make out the sign board that said 'Sobakasu' in the dark. The living room was transformed into some sort of dinner area, unvarnished wooden square tables and three-legged stools on each side scattered around the room without thought. The stage was just a short platform where the band, Anathema was what they called themselves, were setting up. She heard the second floor had private rooms where people can lounge. It would be rather refreshing if it weren't so damn pretentious. They might as well have spray painted 'WE'RE INDIE!' on the walls. But then again, pretension was part and parcel of events organizing. And she really didn't mind that the open space, otherwise known as the garage, was accessible so she can have a cigarette without having to worry about the smell of smoke clogging her pores.

Fuuko led Tokiya to one of the more covert tables in the back. Fuuko immediately took out her mobile and started making random work-related phone calls while Tokiya busied himself with trying to make out the words on the menu, the soft yellow light wasn't much help in that department.

"When are we going to leave?" Tokiya asked curtly once she put her phone down.

"We just got here," she said patiently.

"I can think of several things I'd rather be doing," he said and she didn't miss the slight leer in his tone.

"Order something and eat so you'd stop bothering me," she said flippantly as her mobile vibrated.

Fuuko was chatting animatedly on her mobile when a young woman approached their table. She must've been about twenty-three to twenty-five tops and wearing a beige halter top and hip hugging black slacks. Her hair was set in a high ponytail and she looked pretty, a low maintenance kind of pretty.

"Fuuko-san, you came!" she exclaimed before taking the chair adjacent to Fuuko's.

Fuuko said a quick goodbye to the person on the other line before leaning over and kissing the girl on the cheek. "You think I'm going to miss the first party of my absolute favorite assistant?"

The girl blushed. "I'm so nervous; if I screw this up I'll be back to pushing papers at the office. And the band is giving me a headache; they refuse to play some of the songs the sponsor's requested. Says it's about artistic integrity"

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, not yet famous and already acting like divas. Don't worry darling, just threaten to take away their drugs and they'll do whatever you want."

She laughed at this. The girl then cast her blue eyes surreptitiously towards Tokiya before looking once more at Fuuko.

"Oh, this is my roomie, Tokiya. This is Yumi, my assistant, she organized this entire thing," Fuuko immediately offered.

"Nice to meet you," Yumi said shyly.

He only gave her a frugal smile before turning to Fuuko. "I'm going to get some drinks, you want anything?" He only glanced at Yumi as a sign that the offer extended to her.

Yumi shook her head shyly.

"The usual," Fuuko said.

Tokiya stood up and made a beeline towards the bar.

"He's cute," Yumi said once Tokiya was out of earshot. Fuuko couldn't help but grin at the girlish manner in which she said this, reminding her of Tokiya's myriad of admirers in high school and college alike.

"Is he seeing anyone?" Yumi asked carefully when Fuuko didn't respond.

"Um, yeah." Fuuko didn't know why she said that, something just compelled her to do so.

"Is it serious?" Yumi pressed.

"Yeah, they've been going out for a while now," Fuuko answered without batting an eyelash.

'_Liar, liar pants on fire,'_ her conscience baited her. It sounded uncannily like Yanagi's voice. She reasoned to herself that she was only doing this for Yumi's good. She was on the rebound and even if she weren't, she's kind of clingy and an incurable relationship addict and everyone knows Tokiya definitely did not like clingy and wasn't exactly into long-term relationships. Unless you count the relationship he's had with her, and well, that wasn't exactly a relationship either, that was sex.

Tokiya returned shortly, a glass of red wine in one hand and Fuuko's cosmopolitan in the other.

"Thanks," Fuuko said, there was a guilty blush in her voice that she really hoped he did not notice.

"Tokiya-san, we're having a post-party party at the Ritz hotel later; will you two be going?" Yumi asked as Fuuko took a sip of her drink. Ack, impertinent, importunate girl, Fuuko thought.

"No, we're leaving early tomorrow morning," Tokiya said shortly.

"Leaving?"

"For a vacation," he said without bothering to offer anymore details.

"I see, well maybe next time," the girl said.

Tokiya gave a non-committal shrug. Fuuko let out a sigh of relief; he wasn't the least bit interested. She decided not to think about why that mattered.

"I best get back to the insanity," Yumi announced after a few seconds of silence.

"Good luck, sweetie, I know you can do it. Show them who's boss," Fuuko said with an encouraging smile and yelled, "Don't be afraid to be a bitch!" while the girl was walking away.

"Is that the secret to your success?" Tokiya asked with a smirk.

"Yes, don't tell anyone," she said, her lips matching his own.

She grabbed the menu from his hand to look over it but he held on to it fast. After a mini tug of war she scooted her chair close to his and they read the menu together.

"I want the mozzarella sticks, I feel like cheese today. I just want lots of cheese, what else has cheese?" she muttered as her index finger skimmed over the menu.

"They've got a cheese platter; let's see here, Fontina, Mozzarella, Provolone, Pepato and Gorgonzola. It'd be like Italy blew up in your face," he said.

She looked up at him coyly. "I want Italy to blow up in my face."

"Cheese platter it is. You sure you don't want anything else? You haven't had supper," he asked.

"We can just grab a burger on the way home, nothing else looks appealing to me," she said whimsically.

"Sure," he said before he shut the two-paged menu and motioned for the server to come over.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

"Yes, we'll have the cheese platter and two glasses of Merlot please," Tokiya said airily.

The waiter bowed before turning away.

Fuuko eyed her half empty drink. "Are you trying to get me drunk, Mi-chan?"

Tokiya rolled his eyes at her. "I could drown you in a vat of wine and you'd come out completely sober."

She snickered and stuck her tongue out at her.

"And besides, the cheese would taste much better with a fine glass of Merlot," he said in a soft and steady low whisper accompanied by that half smile that barely touched the aristocratic contours of his face. Fuuko couldn't help but wonder when he'd changed from the insufferable asshole in high school to this smooth charmer who made her crave for his skin with mere words.

"If you say so," were the only words she could trust herself to say.

* * *

After the band's second set was done, Tokiya finally managed to pester Fuuko into going home. He knew it was only ten-thirty in the evening but he never did enjoy staying out late, even on Friday nights. Tokiya waited for her in the car while she said her goodbyes to her friends. A good fifteen minutes later the door to the passenger seat opened and Fuuko stepped in. She pulled on her plaid oxford skirt to cover more of her thighs before securing the seatbelt. 

"Do you still want to get take out?" Tokiya asked as he started the car.

"Yeah, is that place still open, the one with the really big burgers? You know, beef suicide?" she said.

"I know the place," he said.

Tokiya steered left towards the main street and a few minutes later he pulled the car into the drive through. He sat patiently in the car as they waited for their orders by the take out window. Fuuko stretched a bit to get the kinks out of her neck and instinctively Tokiya reached over and put gentle pressure on her nape in the semblance of a massage.

Half an hour later they were home. They sat on opposite sides of the kitchen counter as they ate in companionable silence.

"That was good," Fuuko broke the silence. She made slight sucking noises as she cleaned her fingers of mayonnaise that dripped from her burger. "You done?"

Tokiya took one more sip of soda before putting the paper cup on the counter top and nodding. She wordlessly cleared up their mess and then washed her hands on the kitchen sink. She turned on her heel and moved towards her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Tokiya asked her retreating back.

"Uh, sleep?" she said, turning around slowly.

Tokiya gave her wicked grin before stalking towards her. "No."

"No?" Fuuko arched an eyebrow at him.

"You're not sleeping tonight," he said with finality as he stood in front of her, as close as he could get without touching.

"Is that so?" she said haughtily.

"At least not for a very long time."

Fuuko squealed when Tokiya, with cat-like grace, threw her over his shoulder and with decisive strides took them to his bedroom and shut the door with a click.

* * *

Fuuko stretched her legs on the bed, loving the feel of Egyptian cotton on her bare skin. Tokiya always had been a glutton for comfort. She opened her eyes, it was still dark but she could already see the amber linings of the sun behind dark clouds. She turned over, Tokiya was still asleep, the blanket pushed down to his hips and twisting around his legs barely covering him. Fuuko reached for the clock on the night stand by his side. She pressed the little button that turns on the illuminator so she could read the hands. 

"What time is it?" Tokiya said suddenly without moving from his sleeping position. Fuuko would've been shocked into a cardiac arrest if she weren't so used to it.

"It's four am," she said in a whisper.

Tokiya's eyes fluttered open and he gave her his sleepy, sensuous good morning smile. Yep, she was in trouble. He sat up gracefully; everything about him was so graceful that it frustrated her sometimes. One hand carefully pried the clock from her hold and settled it back on the night stand haphazardly. His other hand slipped around her waist and pulled her closer to him until she was straddling him, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, her soft breasts crushed against the sinewy muscles of his chest.

"Good morning," he said with a naughty glint swirling in his usually cold blue grey eyes.

Tokiya always had a penchant for morning sex and rarely missed an opportunity to take her after waking up, sometimes even before. And Fuuko had to be honest with herself; she didn't mind his manner of jumpstarting their morning.

And it was indeed a very good morning.

* * *

"Is this your way of telling me you're moving out?" Tokiya asked with an arched eyebrow as he eyed Fuuko's luggage. 

"You're exaggerating, that's only half my closet," Fuuko readily answered as she pulled one of her black standard Samsonite trolleys out the door. Tokiya only shook his head, an amused smile ghosting his lips before carrying his own luggage and some of hers out.

After one more trip they had everything inside the trunk and half the backseat of Tokiya's car. Tokiya was on the highway when Fuuko switched to the backseat and made a pillow out of his duffel bag. She fell asleep in no time; he discovered years ago that she had the talent of falling asleep anywhere and in record speed.

A good three hours later, Tokiya was already cruising through scenic pastures. From the rearview mirror he saw her stir in her sleep before sitting up. She sluggishly threw her arms around his shoulders and placed a kiss on his neck.

"How many hours of sleep do you need?" he asked in a whisper, knowing that her ears were rather sensitive just after waking up.

"Fourteen," she said in a drunken manner.

"You're worse than a five year-old," he joshed.

"Are we almost there yet?" she asked as she effortlessly slipped to the front seat beside him.

"We should be there in two hours," he said.

"Do you want me to drive?" she offered with a yawn.

"I don't have a death wish."

She slapped his arm rather forcefully before stretching and leaning her head on the windshield.

"I'm hungry," she announced after a minute of silence.

"You want to make a pit stop?" he asked.

"Nah, we'll eat at home. Mom said she prepared lunch," she said.

"Are you sure it's okay with her for me to stay over? I could always stay at a hotel," he said.

"She's the one who offered. You know my mom's fond of you," she assured him.

Tokiya smirked. It was no secret that the only reason Fuuko was even allowed to work in Tokyo so far away from home was because she was going to be with him. He only talked to the woman a couple of times but he always made an impression that he was responsible and trustworthy. Although he wondered if Fuuko's mother would still like him if she found out the things he'd been doing with her daughter. He reckoned it would not be a good thing for her to find out, he didn't quite fancy being poisoned.

Fuuko took her hobo bag perched on the dashboard and placed it on her lap. She fiddled inside before finally taking out the thing she'd been looking for, face beaming up as if she just found the greatest treasure in the world. It was a rather harassed looking wrapped twinkie and Tokiya did not want to know how long it's been sitting inside. She gingerly broke the plastic container and took a small bite of her treat. She glanced at Tokiya and grinned at the slight longing in his face. She extended her hand and fed him the twinkie.

* * *

With little to no traffic, they made it to Fuuko's home in less than two hours. Fuuko rang the doorbell while Tokiya unloaded their luggage from the trunk. As he took out the last of Fuuko's bags from the backseat of his car, Ganko came bounding out of the Kirisawa's front ward. 

"Nee-chan!" she exclaimed and gave Fuuko a warm hug.

"Missed you too, sis; where's Mom?" Fuuko returned.

As if to answer her question, Kagome Kirisawa came out the front door dressed in loose black slacks and a short sleeved plain blue polo.

"Oh darling, look at you, you're so skinny! Tokiya, are you not feeding her well?"

Tokiya only blinked in response.

"Mom, he's not responsible for feeding me. And don't subject him to a trauma this early on," Fuuko jokingly chastised her mother before giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Shush, I'm only making conversation," Kagome said, "I'm sure you two are famished, why don't you come in and eat."

"Thank you, Kirisawa-sama, just tell me where I can place our luggage for the meantime," Tokiya politely answered.

"You can just place them on the foyer. I'll show you where you're staying after lunch. You'll be staying at Fuuko's brother's old room."

Kagome was talking about Takashi Kirisawa, Fuuko's older brother by three years. Tokiya met him once two years back when he made a trip to Tokyo with his wife Ayame and decided to visit his little sister while he was in town. He was an okay guy, a little on the shy side. He didn't have that overbearing, protective older brother aura about him. Probably the side effect of growing up in the company of boisterous females. As far as Tokiya knew, from Fuuko's stories of course, Takashi and Ayame lived within the vicinity with their child.

Tokiya followed her inside and Ganko and Fuuko helped him with the luggage which they managed to get in just one trip. Not much changed since he was last in Fuuko's house, some twelve years ago perhaps before he even left for Uni. It was simple and spacious and he had to admit Fuuko's mother had a classic taste for décor. It was definitely a house he would live in.

They moved to the dining area where catching up was done over lunch. Fuuko animatedly told her mother and Ganko stories about work and her life, dragging Tokiya in the conversation every now and then. Her mother updated Fuuko on gossip about their neighbors, apparently Mrs. Tsukamoto from next door was having an illicit affair with the gardener and Mr. Tsukamoto found them one afternoon after coming home from work on their marital bed and proceeded to chase the young and very naked man outside with a rather large kitchen knife. Needless to say the scandal provided gossip fodder for the weeks to come.

Ganko giddily told Fuuko that she had just been accepted to an exclusive culinary arts school in Sicily and would be leaving in May for a three month training program. There was also news on their brother; Ayame was apparently two months into her second pregnancy and the couple would be coming to dinner later this evening.

Tokiya stayed quiet the entire time, only speaking when spoken to and only extended his opinions when it was asked for. Although in his silent observation he cannot help but be enamored by the easy chemistry their family held.

"How was the meal Tokiya-san?" Fuuko's mother asked as he took his last bite of the lemon meringue dessert.

"It was rather exquisite," he answered, and he wasn't embellishing in the least bit.

"Of course it is, I made it," Ganko said with a proud smile.

"You'll make a fantastic chef some day Ganko," he agreed and the girl blushed at his compliment.

"Well she'll definitely be handy in fattening up Fuuko here, seriously darling you look anorexic, I think you've lost some of your boobs," Kagome reproved her daughter.

"Ma!"

"Eh, it's just us and Tokiya here, I'm sure he's noticed too."

Fuuko could only bury her face in her palm and groan.

Her mother finally took pity on her daughter. "Fine, fine, I'll stop now. Now you two go on upstairs, Fuuko show Tokiya-san where he'll be staying and we'll clean up here."

The pair promptly left the table. They stepped into the foyer so Tokiya could grab some of his luggage and bring it with him.

"I swear my mother's favorite pastime is embarrassing me in front of guests; when I was twelve she made me model my bathing suit in front her Mahjong mates and made a fuss about how well endowed I was," Fuuko said wistfully.

"I thought she was rather charming," Tokiya baited.

"And you sir, live to torture me," she accused.

He held on to her wrist lightly to halt her step and drew his head closer to her ear. "Although you have to admit you rather enjoy some of the more…creative ways I torture you."

She only gave him a opulent smile; she wasn't the least bit afraid to admit that she did.

Fuuko led Tokiya to the staircase and up the second storey of the house. Near the end of the narrow hallway were two white doors adjacent to each other.

"Your room," Fuuko said pointing to the door on the left, "and my room is the one next to yours."

Tokiya knocked on the walls. "I see you no longer have cardboard partitions."

"We've upgraded," she said suggestively, "thick hollow blocks, virtually sound proof."

"That is very good news," he said huskily before crushing his lips against hers.

Tokiya nipped her bottom lip with his teeth until she finally opened her mouth, letting his tongue glide in to sweep across hers. He impatiently turned the doorknob to her room and pushed her inside, leaving his bag outside and kicking the door close behind him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lifted her and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips. He tore his lips away from hers as he located the bed and Fuuko busied herself with planting sweet, wet kisses on neck.

They tumbled on her twin bed, he usually preferred a more spacious mattress but this would have to do. Tokiya distractedly began unzipping his pants, while Fuuko raised her pencil skirt over her hips, exposing the lacy red panties she wore underneath. No time for foreplay, he needed her now and he could tell by the desperate look in her eyes that she felt the exact same way.

"Nee-chan, Recca and Yanagi are here!" they heard Ganko bellow from the bottom of the staircase.

Tokiya groaned and buried his head in the nook of her neck, her purple hair assaulting his nose with its jasmine scent. "If we don't answer maybe they'll think we're resting?"

"Unfortunately Ganko has this terrible habit of bursting into my room without knocking, sleeping or not," she whispered. She pushed Tokiya off her and stood up, pulling her skirt down over those red panties he so wanted to rip.

"I'll be right there! I'm just changing!" Fuuko yelled.

"Okay, we'll be hanging out at the patio!" her little sister answered.

"Can I at least watch you change?" he sulked like a five year old.

"Desperate much?"

He gave her a Cheshire grin. "Is that your roundabout way of saying yes?"

Fuuko could only laugh before pushing Tokiya out of the room.

_To Be Continued..._

**End Notes: **I know the ending's anti-climactic and shitty. But I promise the next one will be better! But I seriously love the idea of Fuuko being an events manager and Tokiya being an accountant. Bombshell and boring, hee

**Next Chapter: **In the words of **mischkaa**, there will be more sexytime! Hee! I seriously love that term! Can you just picture Mi-chan going 'It's sexy time!' HAHAHHAH...I am dead from laughing. I have to find a way to incorporate that into the story.Also, more Recca and Domon spontaneous breakdancing! HEE! I MISS WRITING THOSE TWO!

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	4. This Charming Man

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine...yet. The chapter title 'This Charming Man' is by The Smiths. Yes, I do plan to name every chapter after an eighties song.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the long delay, I've been busy. But I expect that the next chapter should come out within the week and hopefully I'll have at least two more chapters out within the next week depending on my muse. But so far it's been good, I have the outline for the next three chapters ready. I'm really happy about this chapter though, I just really, really like the way it turned out, especially the last part. So I hope you guys enjoy it too. I hope my little flashback on the first part explains things. I'm not one to state things explicitly, I'm a fan of subtext, hee.

**Thank you Notes: **_Thanks to my reviewers!_ **kazeshinobi** (hopefully I'll get you line and sinker with this chapter, hee!) **mischkaaa **(wah, I failed on the sexytime for this chappie!) **obsessed-chan** (maybe in the deleted scenes, ask khryzle-chan of my plans, hahahah) **chloe21** (er, you'll just have to read the story to get the answer to your questions :D)** JamJam-chan** (Fuuko jealous? Maybe, hehe) **Shen-chan **(it's okay love. And for steamy scenes, I have evil plans) **SnowCharms** (Granted they're both over thirty in this fic, I figured they'd be wiser about it I haven't really had the chance to insert it into the narrative, but yes they are using birth control.) **malo **(Thankies! Yes, Ganko's a pesky little one, broke the mood and all, hehe. And your spidey sense isn't so far off!) **alf05 **(so I wasn't the only one amused with sexy time! Hee! God, I can still picture it in my head.) **cLoTiHeArT** (He is! And terribly so!) **ashi-chan **(Bwah, don't bleed over your keyboard, that could be messy! Glad you liked the story!) **Kyusetsuki Satsuki** (the first part should answer your question) **abubi-chan** (Perhaps both, who knows. At this rate Tokiya could end up with Domon. Bwahahah, kidding!) **khryzle-chan** (Drooling is unbecoming beeyatch! Get on IM sometime! And don't worry, I'll snail mail you porn written in longhand should you ever get thrown into a convent.) **ladylyris** (Oh man, what woman would pass up a chance to molest that beautiful man? I'm shocked myself that I didn't make her drag him up to that room!) **khay** (Thanks so much for reviewing this and Just As You Are, I'm glad you enjoyed the entirety of JAYA and hopefully you'll like this one too. I'm glad you enjoy the way I've portrayed them as grown-ups, it's quite exciting for me to explore them at an age closer to mine. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!)

**Chapter Four: This Charming Man**

_Four years earlier:_

_He could only stroke her hair, she had beautiful hair and he thought it was a good thing that she grew it out. They had been decidedly not looking at each other for the last ten minutes. What the hell do you say to someone you've just had mind-blowing sex with? Well, normally he would say 'Care for another round?' But then it wasn't a 'normally' sort of situation. She was his closest friend. And he couldn't help but dread the possibility that he'd completely ruined it._

"_Don't worry, I'm not in love with you," she said with slight humor._

"_Same here," he said, a little bit relieved. _

"_Just tell me, Mi-chan, you're not dating anyone, are you? I can't keep track with you," she said with a little crack in her voice._

"_No, I wouldn't do that to you."_

"_Good, because I refuse to be the other woman, even if unwittingly so."_

_He only nodded in understanding and let his hand drop to her arm, fingers flitting over her skin._

"_So what do we do now?" she asked._

_He shrugged._

"_I really wish you'd say something."_

"_That was the best sex I've ever had."_

_She laughed. "Seriously."_

_He looked at her unflinchingly. "I am serious."_

"_Would you see me differently if I told you I want to do it again?"_

_His heart jumped. "No. I'd be lying if I said I never thought of you that way even once."_

"_Really?"_

"_I've had couple of x-rated dreams starring you," he said nonchalantly. There's really no point in being modest._

_She laughed again, raucously, unbefitting of the sensuality her skin was emitting. Or maybe it was just him. "Wow, the iceman has fantasies about little old me."_

"_Man would be the operative word there."_

"_So you're not completely opposed to the idea of doing this again?"_

_He didn't respond. _

"_No strings attached?"_

"_You're my friend Fuuko. Believe it or not, I value our friendship."_

"_It's just sex," she said, eyes straying away from his as her finger traced circles on his linen sheets._

"_It could complicate things," he said although he was dying to kiss her again._

"_Not if we're always honest with each other," she said looking pointedly at him, "just make sure to tell me if you start seeing anyone else."_

"_And you extend to me the same courtesy," he said, drawing his head closer._

"_And don't fall in love with me," she said jokingly._

"_I don't make it a habit to fall in love with monkeys," he quipped._

"_Right, you just sleep with them," she said but was cut off when he kissed her once more._

* * *

"How was Thailand?" Fuuko greeted jovially as she stepped out into the patio. 

"It was beautiful, they had the most amazing beaches," Yanagi answered.

"I see you've spent a lot of hours out in the sun," the former wind master said, referring to the glowing tan Yanagi now sported.

"A lot more than I wanted," Recca said with slight bitterness.

Yanagi's jaw dropped. "We had so much fun on the beach!"

"We'd have had more fun in the hotel room," Recca said as he popped a gum in his mouth.

"Still the romantic, I see," Fuuko commented amusedly.

Yanagi shook her head in faux disappointment. "My husband is absolutely hopeless."

"If you mean hopelessly in love with you, then that's absolutely true," Recca added with a cheesy grin.

Fuuko couldn't stop herself from grinning as Yanagi's cheeks flamed red and half-heartedly slapped his arm; they were just too cute. "Stop it, you're making me sick."

"Who's making you sick?" Tokiya's low timber wafted in the air. He went out the patio and soundlessly slid the glass door closed.

"These two, they're acting like newlyweds," Fuuko said as she made room for him on the loveseat.

"We are newlyweds, dumbass," Recca said.

"Oh god, you two aren't going to start your inane pedomorphic arguments, are you?" Tokiya said, exasperation hidden behind his cold voice.

Recca gave him a blank look. "Tell us first what pedomorphic means and then we'll answer your question."

"You're an idiot."

"Dude, I still don't know what pedomorphic means."

"Maybe it means you're an idiot," Fuuko said with a grin and Recca had to laugh.

"You're both idiots," Tokiya calmly returned. Fuuko and Recca burst into laughter.

"I missed you man," Recca said through snorts.

"I didn't miss you one bit."

"You hurt my feelings."

"Seamonkeys are incapable of emotion."

"Now who's being childish?" Fuuko said with an ironic snicker.

Tokiya only sneered at her.

"Why don't we cut it at that," Yanagi said, speaking like she was the only adult in the room, "how was your trip?"

"Uneventful, thankfully, it was a swift ride," Fuuko answered.

"Of course it was, you slept the entire way," Tokiya said teasingly.

"I offered to drive!"

"Thanatos is not a condition I have," Tokiya answered.

"If you're going to keep talking like that, I'll have to go get a dictionary," Recca interrupted.

"That would only help if you actually knew how to read," Tokiya said evenly.

Fuuko noticed the slight tightening of Recca's chest. He wasn't seriously pissed off, just itching for a scuffle; that much she can tell. She recognized that emotion, the need to fight, no matter how many years have passed since the last time she held her Fuujin or even a kunai, no matter how much she has changed, in appearance and in attitude, she still cannot deny the thirst for a fight that rumbled deep inside her. "Hey, if you two want a go, do it outside where you won't wreck my mother's furniture," she said warningly.

Tokiya looked at her with those grey eyes that made her feel as if she was hiding something even if she weren't. "Are you trying to make us stop or do you just want to spar?"

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "I've gone past the age of indulgent brawling."

Tokiya leaned over and whispered low in her ear, so low that neither Recca nor Yanagi would be able to make out his lips. "I'll spar with you anytime."

Fuuko fought to keep her breathing steady; it was a good thing that she didn't blush easily but Kami did her face feel hot. Sometimes Fuuko thought Tokiya got off on the possibility of getting caught. She shot him a glare that begged to say, 'Stop it.' He only gave her a seductive smirk and she suppressed the urge to hit him with one of her mother's potted plants. She didn't want to upset her mother.

The two missed the surreptitious glance the married couple shared in front of them.

"Fuuko-chan, by the way," Yanagi said as she leaned forward to take a sip of lemonade, "how long are you going to be here?"

Fuuko welcomed the diversion. "I'll be here until mid-January."

Yanagi swallowed the lemonade in her mouth before speaking, "Fantastic, I'm going to need some help with the house warming party. Recca and I were thinking we'll hold it first Saturday of January, right after we finish painting the house."

Fuuko immediately went to events organizer mode. "No problem! Is it going to be small and intimate? Just a few friends? I know a few caterers who does things like that, and real cheap so you get your money's worth. And on the way here I found this really lovely bead shop; they accept personalized orders, I think beaded bracelets would make great give-away presents."

Yanagi shook her head with a laugh. "Not like that, Fuuko, it's not going to be a grand party or anything, we're just having you guys over for dinner and some people at my and Recca's work. No need for caterers and such. I was hoping you'd help me cook or something."

Fuuko arched an eyebrow. "Cook? You know I can't cook!"

"But, you've lived away from your mother for such a long time, you must've picked up on it," Yanagi said.

"I can't cook, tell her Mi-chan."

"She can't cook, she can't even order properly from a menu."

"You know that last part really wasn't necessary."

"I was just trying to reinforce your point."

Fuuko stuck her tongue out at him and he merely grinned. She returned her focus on Yanagi. "But I can help you paint!"

"Paint? Our house?" Recca said doubtfully.

"I'm good at painting, tell him Mi-chan."

"She's good at painting. My room had five makeovers just in the last year. I had no idea there were so many shades of turquoise."

Recca laughed. "You let her paint your room, Mikagami?"

Tokiya nodded severely. "I have learned that catering to her whims was the best way to avoid a black eye."

Fuuko let out an affronted gasp. "Hey! I don't hit you anymore!"

"Yes you do," he said, eyeing her warily.

The married couple giggled in amusement.

"You know, if you two were married you'd be a battered husband," Recca chided.

Fuuko did not miss it when Tokiya's shoulders tensed up.

"Oh, I forgot, you had that forever bachelor vow," Recca added as an afterthought.

"I just don't see the point of marriage, no offense," Tokiya said in a small voice.

"What about you Fuuko?" Yanagi asked.

"Um, well, it's really too early to think about that."

"You're thirty, Fuuko-chan. Don't you want children?" Yanagi pressed.

She let out a nervous laugh. She really did not want to talk about this in front of Tokiya, for reasons she has yet to quantify. "Yeah," she couldn't bear to lie, "but you know, there are women who get pregnant at forty. I could be one of those women."

"But it'll be difficult."

"I could always adopt. There are too many children in this world who don't have parents, I might as well help alleviate the burden," she reasoned, hoping the lack of stuttering would convince them that she didn't care. In truth, she wanted children, she wanted a husband, she wanted a home with white picket fences and a Labrador named Rocket. But what can she do, she couldn't find anyone to build that life with and she refused to settle, and there was no point moping over something she couldn't control.

Yanagi shrugged and Fuuko could tell from her best friend's steel gaze that she didn't believe any of her bullshit; but Yanagi was never one to confront something head on. "To each his own, I guess," she finished. Although Fuuko knew the discussion was far from over, just postponed. And she couldn't fight off the feeling that Yanagi knew something was off. It irritated her that the woman could be so damn perceptive.

"Well, I really don't care about your views on family life, as long as you're painting my house you're fine with me," Recca said pragmatically.

"Recca! You can't make her paint our house! Have some shame," Yanagi chastised.

"She offered!"

"Yanagi, it's okay, I enjoy it. It's oddly relaxing," Fuuko insisted, "and the two of us could hang out! Like old times!"

Yanagi started laughing. Fuuko took one look at her and instantly knew what the girl was about.

"What's so funny?" Tokiya asked.

Fuuko calmed down long enough to share the story. "Remember when Yanagi and I roomed together the first year of college? You know, before she moved back here to be near Recca? We were assigned to this seriously dilapidated building and the room we got was this dreadful shade of orange. Anyway, the RN said we're free to paint the room if we wanted."

"But of course we didn't have enough funds to spare to buy enough paint to cover all the walls. We didn't have enough funds to cover a quarter of it, even," Yanagi supplied.

Fuuko seamlessly continued the story, "So little miss can't do nothing illegal here suggested that we can sneak some paint from the art department."

"With the tuition we were paying, it wasn't exactly stealing, it was just taking what the excess was worth," Yanagi defended with a giggle.

"She said we should do it at night, since no one guards that building, unfortunately the supplies room was on the second floor--"

"And we had to use a ladder to climb up--"

"On the way down, someone was stupid enough to leave a lidless bucket of paint on the window sill--"

"I had no idea the window didn't have a latch!" Yanagi squealed guiltily.

"Long story short, we ended up drenched in paint!"

"It was green, remember?" Yanagi said, eyes twinkling.

"And it wasn't even cool green, it was baby poop green! And it wouldn't come off our hair for days!"

Yanagi at this point was clutching her stitches from too much laughter. "We made up this story that we were in some sort of eighties revival band."

"Although we did end up with beautiful cerulean blue walls!"

"How come I didn't know about this?" Tokiya asked, completely baffled. He went to the same university they did and he didn't remember seeing Yanagi or Fuuko with green hair at any point.

"That's because you were such a horrible snob Mi-chan, we barely saw you when we were in college. Granted it was a big campus and you lived all the way on the other side," Fuuko explained.

"Oh." He didn't think he had been so unfriendly at the time. It made him regret all the times he missed out spending time with both girls. This wasn't the first story he'd heard from Fuuko about her misadventures with Yanagi that first year of college. After all, of the Hokage members, the two women were the closest to his heart. He just took to women better than men (and no, that doesn't make him gay or a playboy for that matter.) Although it took him a while to admit to himself that Fuuko, when not physically maiming him, was pleasant company…and nice to look at.

"So you'll come over Wednesday afternoon? I'll be on leave that day," Yanagi broke through his reverie. Apparently no one had noticed that he had spaced out and went on to make plans.

"Sure, don't really have much work to do until next week, I have lots of free time," Fuuko answered, all the while engrossed on the invisible lint on her skirt.

"What about me?" Tokiya asked.

"What about you?" Fuuko asked without looking at him.

"I don't want to paint their house," he said with finality.

"No one asked you to; feel free to do whatever you like."

"You dragged me to this vacation; you're responsible for my entertainment," he said in a way that only Fuuko recognized as playful.

"You can come with me and watch us paint the house then," she said unaffected.

"That's boring," he said.

"I could always hire strippers to come here and keep you busy but I doubt my mother would approve," she said with a straight face.

"Funny, Kirisawa."

"I know," she said as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"You can always hang out with me and Domon," Recca suggested.

Fuuko's head shot up as if she was just reminded that they actually had a fifth friend missing from the group. "Yeah, where is Domon?"

"He's flying in Tuesday morning. He spent the last week doing some sort of promotional tour in Korea and his flight was delayed," Yanagi explained their friend's absence.

"You can come over around lunch, I'll take the afternoon off work at the factory, I know this great place," Recca said with a conspiratorial wink.

"You're not going to that girly bar," Yanagi said, her tone laced with death threats.

"Of course not, honey, I'm talking about this great steakhouse over at the highlands," Recca said innocently.

"Would you like to stay happily married Hanabishi?" she asked, bangs covering her eyes. Fuuko wondered how such a small and dainty woman could manage to loom over a man half a foot taller than her.

"Yes," Recca squeaked.

"Then you better be going to that steakhouse."

"Of course honey."

Tokiya smirked; it seemed Yanagi picked up a thing or two from Fuuko on how to control her man.

* * *

"Nii-san!" 

Fuuko bounded down the stairs like an uncontainable five year-old as soon as she heard Ganko announce that their older brother, Takashi, had arrived. Tokiya was downstairs helping Kagome in the kitchen and went out to the living room to be welcomed by the sight of Fuuko tackling her older brother to the floor refusing to let go of the tight hold she had on his neck.

"I missed you too, squirt," Takashi's lofty voice said beneath a heap of purple hair.

Tokiya liked seeing her like this, brash and irrepressible, much like she was when they were seventeen and fighting off evil men who wanted to take over the world. And so different from the high society, manipulative and bossy bitch she referred to as her work persona; he didn't quite like seeing her that way. To him, that wasn't Fuuko.

"Enough of that; let your brother breathe," Kagome said while shaking her head at her two children.

Fuuko got up but didn't let go of the hold she had on her brother. "Ma, aren't you happy to see your kids get along so well?"

"Yes, but if you break anything in the process, I will disown you both," she answered. And she didn't sound like she was kidding.

"Tokiya-san, it's been a while, how have you been?" Takashi said politely when he spotted Tokiya standing behind Kagome.

"I am good," he nodded in acknowledgment, "and congratulations, I heard you have another baby on the way. How far along are you?" He directed the question at Takashi's wife Ayame who stood a few feet away, a safe distance from the rowdy siblings.

"Three months, two weeks," she answered with a glow in her face.

Fuuko stepped towards her sister-in-law and hugged her. "You're making me godmother this time!"

"Of course!" Ayame agreed as she hugged the purple-haired woman in return.

"Are you sure that's wise, koishii?" Takashi said teasingly.

Fuuko hit him over the head. "I'm a responsible adult!"

Takashi looked at her doubtfully. "Is that so? Tell me, does Tokiya-san still need to remind you that you need to do your laundry?"

"Yes, I do. And she still doesn't know how to properly operate the washing machine," Tokiya said helpfully.

"Pfft, all minor details."

"Last month she used dish soap as substitute for detergent," Tokiya added.

"Are you second guessing your decision now, Ayame?" Takashi said with an amused smile.

"Ma! They're ganging up on me!" Fuuko whined.

"You two stop it, it's not my daughter's fault she's too dim for housework," Kagome defended…sort of.

"You're not helping!"

"What am I supposed to say? How could you mistake dish soap for detergent?!" Kagome said.

"It's called being inventive."

Her mother sighed. "It's a good thing Tokiya here is house-broken. I bet he does all the chores."

"That I do."

"You'll make a great housewife someday, Mi-chan," Fuuko said sarcastically.

"At least I can tell when milk is expired."

Everyone laughed as Fuuko reddened in embarrassment. "It tasted fine!"

"Fuuko, the expiry date was a month past due," he reminded her. Now even Ayame was giggling.

"Oh, I'll get you for that," she sneered as she waved her finger threateningly though Tokiya knew she didn't really mean it.

Kagome ushered everyone to the dining area soon after. As Fuuko passed him, Tokiya held on to her wrist and held her back half a step. "Can't wait," he whispered. He schooled his face to its icy countenance before walking ahead of her to where the rest of her family was.

Dinner proved to be delightful. Takashi and Ayame made plans to take Tokiya and Fuuko to the mall that opened just last year. Apparently there was a great bazaar area where they could shop for cheap clothes and all women were a glutton for sales. Takashi offered to take Tokiya to some of the second hand and antique bookshops, knowing the younger man's penchant for hard to find classic books. The two shared the same interest, Takashi aside from working as a photographer also happened to be a professor of English literature at the community college and Tokiya enjoyed a lively discussion about the works of Thomas Hardy with him. Takashi was a fan and Tokiya found the man snore inducing. He could hear Fuuko fending off Ayame, Ganko and Kagome's interrogation about her love life in the background. He kind of felt bad for her but he didn't think he'd fare too well if their places were switched.

After enjoying a cup of coffee out in the patio, Takashi and Ayame bid their farewell and promised to take their son Shuichi with them on their next visit. Apparently the boy was at a sleepover with some school chums and couldn't come.

"You two aren't turning in yet?" Kagome asked Fuuko as she got up from one of the cushioned armed chairs on the porch.

"I'll stay out here for a bit," Fuuko said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I'll keep you company," Tokiya said.

"Well, I'm going to sleep; it'll be a busy day tomorrow. Mondays are always hectic at the restaurant," Ganko announced as she took her mug from the coffee table and went inside.

"Me too, I'm too old to stay up late," Kagome said, following her youngest daughter.

"Good night," Fuuko said softly.

Fuuko leaned back on the cushioned wicker couch. She slipped off her flip flops and set her feet on the edge of her seat, knees raised up to her chest. She quietly observed the stars and Tokiya quietly observed her. He hadn't seen her like this in a while. Serene, happy and simple, as if the mere smell of damp leaves could make her smile.

"You're happy here," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I am, I had no idea how much I missed this place, not just my family, everything about this place. It's really home for me," she answered without looking at him. It didn't matter, seeing the moonlight cast a soft glow on her face was enough.

"It is, for us," he said.

"Do you ever think about settling back here instead of chasing our dreams in Tokyo?" she asked. There was something wistful about her voice, as if she was speaking beneath the waves of the ocean.

"Sometimes," he said truthfully.

"Do you think we ever will?"

"Maybe someday."

"I miss it when things were simple," she said. Something in the way her voice quavered the teensiest bit made him think that she meant something else.

"Things weren't quite simple then," he told her. Who would call battling creatures with superhuman strength and dealing with people born centuries past simple?

"It was, Mi-chan, in a way. It was all just good versus bad, no trappings in between. We were so idealistic; everything was about saving others and protecting our loved ones. Now I have to deal with work and taxes and relationships and looking for a pantyhose that doesn't get runs so easily and I'm still not sure if there's a purpose behind it all," she said, a tinge of regret painting her words.

Tokiya stood up from his position on the chair opposite hers and moved to sit beside her. He eased an arm around her waist and she familiarly leaned against his frame, her head resting on his shoulder. "Any reason for this introspection?"

"Not really, it's just really quiet here. I'm not used to things being quiet this early at night," she said and snuggled further into his chest as she stretched her legs over his lap. She felt soothingly warm against the cold night.

They spent the next hour or so sitting like that, his arm around her waist, his free hand stroking her calf while she traced patterns on his chest her warm breath ghosting over his neck. Sometimes she would whisper names of constellations to him and he would kiss her on the cheek from time to time.

The low rise and fall of her chest told him she had succumbed to sleep. He pulled her closer to him as he felt soft crystals dragging over his eyes. He faintly registered that this was the first time they would sleep beside each other without having sex. And as the sandman finally conquered him his last thought was that he had never felt closer to her than he did this night.

…

_ To be continued..._

** End Notes: **Okay, so Domon did not appear. I'm sorry, I had no idea it'd turn out this long and I really wanted to end this chapter with that last line from Tokiya's brain. But a lot of things will happen next chapter...

**Next Chapter: **Things happen...Yanagi grows bunny ears and Recca and Domon work as male strippers. Or not. But it'll be fun, I swear. Bwahahaahhaha...

** THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE ENJOYED THE CHAPTER ENOUGH TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW PROCLAIMING ME AS THE GODDESS OF PINK BOAS! Seriously though, I wouldn't mind it if you tell me what you think, unless you think I suck ass and should die a slow painful death in which case shut up...hehehehe**


	5. Burning Down The House

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, I have no money, stop bothering me. Chapter title "Burning Down the House" is by the amazing 'Talking Heads'**

**Author's Notes: Told you I'd get it out in less than a week! Hee! In other news, THIS IS IMPORTANT! I feel as if this is my failure as a writer for not flagging details as well as I should have. Fuuko and Tokiya's friends with benefits relationship may have started four years ago but it was not a continuous deal. They had relationships with other people interspersed between those four years. If you remember in Chapter Two, Yanagi asked Fuuko about her boyfriend and she said they broke up. There was a boyfriend and they did break up. And it was part of the deal that Fuuko and Tokiya didn't fool around when they were with other people. I just needed to clarify that.**

**THANK YOU NOTES: **_Thanks so much to my readers! And reviewers! I love all your asses._ **JamJam-chan** (Thank you darling, I'm glad to have saved you from your bout with ennui. I really like writing fluff, I think I'm better at it than smut so I enjoyed writing the lovey dovey moments. Glad to hear you like them too!) **abubi-chan** (ahaha, naughty Mi-chan needs a rest, sweet Mi-chan is here to fill his place) **malo** (uncensored version, would depend on my current boytoy, bwah!) **cLoTiHeArT** (I loved writing the last part, I really hoped it wasn't overtly romantic because I thought it would be OOC for both of them, glad you liked it.) **mizzie **(thanks! Here's more!) **kazeshinobi** (I get it babe, I get it. It's difficult when you think you've found the right person and then you find out you don't want the same things in life and it sucks because as cliché as it may sound, sometimes love just ain't enough) **Kyusetsuki Satsuki** (Meeble, read the author's notes because I needed to clarify something. But definitely there would be attachment, and that's what this story is all about, attachments, can you really just fuck friends who are actually friends and not some guy you met at a bar?) **aki reinhart** (Thanks! You should post your fics, I'd love to read them! As for Fuuko pregnant…ahh well I do have plans about certain things involving pregnancy but I can honestly say that no, she will not get pregnant in this fic)** alf05** (Thankies! I keep imagining them in my head just like that, and yes, I kept thinking they were cute too!) **SnowCharms** (Glad you liked it love, I take it you're not part of the ToFuu Hentai division, yes I am looking at you khryzle-chan and OD-chan) **obsessed-chan** (I know what you're talking about, I'm about five years your senior and I'm still going through that phase. It's highly overrated but I suppose we're all looking for a higher purpose, a reason, and I miss being eighteen and having an excuse to not have achieved it yet.) **chloe21** (Honey, it's not that crazy, trust me, when you start fooling around you better know your shit. I imagine in my head that Fuuko's uses Depo-Provera shots, very effective. And sometimes people are just lucky, I have a friend who goes by her cycle, and you know how unstable those are, and the lucky bitch never even got a preggy scare. She's either lucky or she or her boyfriend or both of them are sterile. In other news, I have no intentions of ending this sadly, I'm not one for angst, I have enough of that in my real life so shall not let it affect my fanfic, hee.)

**Chapter Five: Burning Down the House**

Fuuko wasn't quite as workless as she claimed to be. Tokiya barely saw her in the next three days. On Sunday she spent the entire day inside her makeshift home office, an unused store room they had on the first floor of their house. She was thankful she bullied her mother into getting DSL a week before their vacation otherwise she would be lost. She was working on financial figures and at the same time trying to convince her clients through video conferencing to shelve out two hundred thousand more yen for the budget, if they don't want to end up with a tacky event worthy only of a high school JS prom. And her charm didn't quite translate through grainy video streaming so it took longer than what she would've wanted.

On Monday she was out all day visiting different sites and canvassing for good caterers and entertainment. On Tuesday she met up with various local television and radio networks for promotions. She could easily delegate her work to someone else but Fuuko was a hands-on type of person, she wanted to make sure she had control of everything down to the smallest detail, even if it killed her. When she came home at night she was too tired to even wave them good night. Although somehow she always managed to fall asleep on Tokiya's bed, he doubted she mistook his room for hers for three consecutive nights. But he wasn't complaining, having her wrapped in his arms was comforting, even if they were just sleeping.

Tokiya spent most of the day with Fuuko's mother. She was a retired Math teacher and it was amusing to talk to her about figures. It was rare to find someone who had such a passion for numbers. In the morning he would help her tend her garden; she took care of her azaleas like she took care of her children. Kagome would take him to lunch at the restaurant where Ganko worked and after the afternoon rush the young girl would sit with them and try out on them some recipes she cooked up in the kitchen that they didn't serve to the regular patrons. Tokiya swore he gained ten pounds in the span of three days.

One time Takashi's wife Ayame joined them since she was getting bored with her new role as a housewife. She recently lost her secretarial work at a legal firm; she and her husband decided that she could afford to be a stay at home mom, at least until after she gave birth and it would be safe to leave both their children in day care. Shuichi tagged along. He was six years old and got Fuuko and Takashi's purple hair as well as Fuuko's energy and loud mouth. Tokiya imagined that if Fuuko had a son it would be exactly like the boy in front of him. He kept asking about his Aunt Fuuko and kept referring to Tokiya as her husband, even when the adults around him told him otherwise, and badgered him about a younger cousin. Ayame tried to shush the little boy but Tokiya waved it off and said he didn't mind. He wasn't one for children but he found Shuichi particularly amusing and rather smart for his age. Before they left, Shuichi managed to rope Tokiya into agreeing to take him to the arcade. Cunning and crafty, yes he definitely takes after his Aunt Fuuko.

"That's very sweet of you, Tokiya-san," Kagome commented, eyes twinkling as she appraised him.

"I like the kid, he's smart," he said honestly. At that moment he reminded himself of young suitors trying to charm the parents of their girlfriends, but then again, Fuuko wasn't his girlfriend and there was no need to charm her mother.

On Wednesday morning he finally managed to wake up before Fuuko did. When he came up to his room the night before after helping Ganko with the dishes he was not surprised to find her passed out on his bed still wearing her shoes. He slipped off the black pumps from her dainty feet and with some effort removed the black pantyhose she had on; he didn't think those would be too comfortable to sleep in. She had taken off her blazer and was wearing a pinstriped polo with the top two buttons loosened. He maneuvered her so that her head was resting on his chest and his arm wrapped around his torso and that was how he fell asleep.

When he woke up in the morning he found her with her back pressed against his front while she clutched his arm wrapped around her waist. She had changed into an old white polo he owned and had taken off her skirt and was left in flimsy panties. He would've loved nothing more than to wake her up by settling his head between her legs but he knew she was tired. This really wasn't the time. So he contented himself with kissing her temple and wrapping his arms tighter around her and in her sleep induced state she whimpered happily and snuggled closer to him.

An hour later he woke up again to find that she was no longer in his arms, he didn't really like that. There was a knock to the door and it opened soon after showing him a fresh looking Fuuko in dark blue jeans, a plain white tank top and havaianas. She closed the door and sat on the bedside while he propped himself up on his elbows to get her good morning kiss.

"Where are you off to this morning?" he asked drunkenly. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall telling him it was close to ten in the morning.

"I just have to go down to our office to pick up some brochure samples from the printing press people, then I'm picking Yanagi up for lunch and then we're off to paint her house," she said.

"Right, forgot that's today," he said.

"You're having lunch with the boys, right?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to that," he said with an ironic smirk.

"Sorry I haven't been around the past days, I hope you're not getting bored," she said apologetically as she absent-mindedly played with a lock of his silver hair.

"No, your mother's doing a very good job keeping me busy."

"Just tell me if she starts bothering you and I'll tell her to lay off," Fuuko offered.

"Don't worry about it; I actually enjoy your mother's company. And we usually end up at Ganko's restaurant anyhow, at least I get to go out," he said.

"Yeah, Mom said you guys were with Ayame and Shuichi-chan yesterday. She said you were very good with Shuichi, which was shocking. When she mentioned it I was half afraid she was going to tell me how you hung the poor kid by his feet over the balustrade," she joshed.

"I just don't like children; it doesn't mean I want to kill them. But Shuichi's a special kid, he doesn't annoy me. In fact I even promised we'd take him to the arcade on the weekend," he told her.

"We?"

"Yes, he wants his Aunt Fuuko," he explained.

She shrugged. "My weekend schedule should be lighter."

Tokiya placed a hand on her nape and pulled her down for a light kiss, just enjoying the feel of her soft pliant lips against his. When he pulled back, she was looking at him with something akin to wonder.

"What?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

Fuuko checked the modest silver Fossil wristwatch on her hand. He remembered that he gave it to her three Christmases ago; he noticed that she didn't own a watch and thought she needed one with her hectic schedule. She cried when she opened her present, saying that it was the prettiest present she ever received. "I best get going; traffic is horrible at this hour."

"All right, I'll see you tonight," he said.

She gave him a quick peck before skipping out of the room. He laid on his back and tangled his hands on his hair. He couldn't help but think that they were acting more and more like a couple each day, but he didn't want to say anything about it, because he enjoyed the feeling.

…

Tokiya went straight to the restaurant Recca told him about since he was running late. It was a rather testosterone heavy steakhouse with wood floorings and walls lined with glazed oak. Yellow bulbs with amber glass lamp shades hung low over each table were the only source of light. The smell was a mix of charred meat, pepper and cigar. There were several stuffed heads of cattle adorning the walls. It was a taxidermist's dream. He found Domon and Recca in a secluded booth in the far corner of the room, menus abandoned in front of them. Tokiya slipped in to the seat beside Recca.

"What happened to the strip joint?" he asked scathingly.

"I like my head, I'd like to keep it attached to my neck, thank you very much," Recca answered without missing a beat.

Domon snorted. "Wuss."

"Hey, I'm a happily married man, all I need to keep me content is my wife," Recca said with a slight strain in her voice.

Tokiya met Domon's eye and both snorted at the same time.

"Trouble in paradise?" Domon asked.

"She's driving me nuts. It's not that I love her any less; it's just that I wish she'd leave me alone sometimes. Seriously, the woman keeps tabs on everything that I do. I'm convinced she's got a GPS tracker attached to my balls," he whined.

Domon laughed. Tokiya looked at him seriously. "Have you ever given her any reason to doubt you?"

Recca shook his head vigorously. "I am many things but I've never cheated on her. I looked once or twice, but never touched."

"Good because if you hurt her I'll kill you myself," Tokiya warned. He was still protective over Yanagi; it was a force of habit more than anything.

"Dude, don't tell me you're still in love with my wife?" Recca joshed.

"How can anyone playing house with Fuuko still be in love with you wife?" Domon chimed in.

"Shut it, Ishijima, I told you it's not like that," Tokiya said tetchily.

Domon just raised both palms up as if to shield himself from an onslaught. "Fine, fine, forget I said anything."

Tokiya decided not to comment any further. "What're we eating, I'm starving."

"We took the liberty of ordering since it takes them a while to get things done here. Hope you like 24 ounces of New York style steak and rice pilaf," Recca answered.

"Sounds good," Tokiya said.

The waiter came over without prompting after he spotted that a third party arrived. "Can I get your drink orders, sir?"

"I'll have a Budweiser," Tokiya said.

The waiter nodded and came back shortly with an ice cold bottle of beer.

"Beer at noon?" Domon asked curiously.

Tokiya just shrugged. "I'm on vacation."

"It's gonna be for a month right?" Domon followed up.

"A month and two days to be exact; I'm making up for lost time," Tokiya drawled, "you?"

"About the same, although I'm leaving for three days right after Christmas since my manager signed me up for a New Year's wrestling special," he answered.

At that point two girls in short plaid school uniforms came up to their table.

"Ishijima-sama, I hope we're not bothering you but we see you outside and we're really big fans of yours," the girl with blond hair set in plaits said, her voice quivering as if someone was shaking her by the shoulders.

The other girl who sported a short pixie style cut and glasses only nodded.

"No problem; I always have time for my fans!" Domon said gallantly.

The two girls squealed and scrambled to get something from inside their knapsacks. The girl with the pixie cut held out a notebook and plain black gel pen. Domon signed it quickly and gave the girl a wink. Tokiya thought the girl was about to faint. The blond one held out a scrapbook with Domon's name in front of it written in glittery pink letters. Inside was a collection of newspaper clippings featuring Domon and some promotional pictures and tickets to his previous wrestling matches. She held out a pink pen topped with a fluffy thing that might have once been attached to an ostrich.

"You are a big fan, aren't you?" Domon said with a grin, "what's your name, sweetheart?"

"Hitomi," she answered.

Domon spoke aloud as he wrote on inside cover of her scrapbook. "Dear Hitomi, always take care of yourself and thank you for all your support, stay in school, don't do drugs, and rock and roll, love, Domon."

Tokiya and Recca snorted and the two girls shot them glares for mocking their idol.

"Arigato, Ishijima-sama. And if you don't mind, can I ask for one more favor?" Hitomi said.

"Anything, sweetheart," Domon said sweetly.

"Can I have a hug?"

He only held out his hands and the girl eagerly flew into his arms. After giving her friend a hug as well the two girls simpered out, giggling between themselves and stealing glances behind them.

"Sweet fans you got there," Recca said as they watched the pair walk away.

"Blond one's real hot," Domon observed.

"Dude, she's in pre-school," Recca sputtered.

Domon was still looking at the spot where the girls disappeared. "Nah, with an ass like that she's gotta be at least eighteen."

Tokiya only shook his head with an amused smirk on his face. "I can never get attracted to anyone younger than Ganko."

Domon faced him with a malicious look on his face. "There are a lot of sweet girls out there in their early twenties, you're missing out."

Tokiya felt his mobile phone on vibrate. It was a text message from Fuuko, no he's definitely not missing out.

…

"Pink?"

"I like pink."

"Yanagi, there's nothing artsy about pink. And this shade hurts my eyes."

"It's my art room! I get to pick the color."

"Fine. I was just looking out for your optical nerves."

Fuuko kneeled on the floor and started working on one of the canisters filled with hot pink paint. She filled the metal paint tray half way before getting one of the rollers from the floor. She covered the wall by the windows while Yanagi started working on the other side.

"You know I know this guy at work, single, really cute, high paying job, and a friend of mine can attest that he has a huge…"

"Yanagi!"

"What? I thought you'd be interested; we can meet him later for dinner. I showed him your pictures and he liked what he saw," she continued unperturbed.

Fuuko rolled her eyes even though Yanagi couldn't see it. "I don't need or want to be set up."

"Come on, Fuuko, it's been, what? Two months since you broke up with that Shinji character, just start dating already. You don't have to marry him," Yanagi insisted.

"I told you, I'm avoiding the dating scene right now," she answered exasperatedly.

"What's the sob story?"

Fuuko ceased painting the wall to turn her torso forty five degrees to face Yanagi's back. "Sob story?"

Yanagi shrugged as she bent down to refill her roller brush with paint. "It must've been a bad break-up if you're so adamant on staying single and refusing to move on."

"Did it ever occur to you that I just like being single?"

"Yes, but I don't believe it," Yanagi said knowingly.

Fuuko sighed resignedly. "There's no sob story, it was a mutual decision to break up. I wasn't in love with the guy. It was a sickeningly healthy break-up. Why stay with someone you know you're not going anywhere with?"

"Good then, so…"

"I am not meeting your co-worker," Fuuko said with finality.

"Argh, fine! But he was so looking forward to meeting you!"

"I don't care!"

Both girls harrumphed and faced the other direction. For a couple of minutes the only sounds that could be heard were the gentle swooshing of the roller brush on the wall.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Fuuko said with a small voice.

"I'm sorry I butted into your business," Yanagi returned.

The two girls turned around and stared at each other before laughing. After the spontaneous outburst they went back to work in peace.

Fuuko was carefully lining the outer edge of the window sill with paint when Yanagi spoke. "Although I have to say you really look happy these days."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you seem more relaxed."

"Must be the environment."

"No it's something else."

Fuuko let out a verbal shrug as response. She didn't know what else to say. She was happy, she didn't need a reason but if Yanagi wanted one then she's free to draw her own conclusions.

The staccato ring of the Hanabishi's home phone permeated the walls and Yanagi carefully set her roller brush on the paint tray before excusing herself to go answer it.

Fuuko had covered the wall underneath the window when Yanagi came back, footsteps thudding like an impatient young boy's.

"What's wrong?" Fuuko asked as she took in Yanagi's distraught face.

"Fuuko-chan, I'm really sorry about this but I have to run out for a while. My co-worker's gone into labor and the father of the baby is somewhere in Middle Earth," she panted.

"What?"

"He skipped town once he found out she was pregnant, Kami knows where he is but I hope it's somewhere where the sun doesn't shine," she explained, an incensed look staining her angelic face, "anyhow she needs me there since her mother is out of town and there's no one to take her to the hospital. I'm sorry to cut our day short, but this is really important. I'm going to be gone for hours. You think you can let yourself out of the house?"

Fuuko waved a hand in front of her face. "Yanagi don't worry, go. I'll be fine, I'll try to finish up a bit more here, if you don't mind?"

"Are you sure? I really don't want to impose," Yanagi said, slightly embarrassed.

"Dude, you're not imposing anything. Now go, there's a woman in labor waiting for you. I heard they can be rather impatient," Fuuko said, shooing Yanagi out.

"I owe you," she said as she grabbed her purse and rushed out the door.

Fuuko stared a couple more minutes at the spot Yanagi left before turning back to her wall and admiring her handiwork. She was really good at painting, seriously. It was a very Zen-like experience to mechanically flick your wrists up and down, as if her brain relinquished control to her arm, leaving her free of thoughts. There was just her and the wall. Although much like in yoga, she easily got bored of attaining inner peace.

She carefully set the roller brush on the paint tray and crawled towards her purse which she left on a stool standing smack in the middle of the room. She took out her phone and pressed speed dial number one.

"Yo, Mi-chan, you doing anything?" she asked once the person on the other end answered.

"I just left Domon's house, he needed a nap."

Fuuko snorted. "Well, you wanna help me paint? Yanagi sort of abandoned me and I kind of offered to continue without her. Now I'm bored."

"I'll be there in fifteen," he said without hesitation.

"You know the address?"

"It's right next to Recca's old house," he said and Fuuko could imagine him rolling his eyes.

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

…

Yanagi was exhausted. She reached over her shoulder to knead her tense muscles. She really hoped that Recca would come home soon; it would be really nice to get a backrub from her husband. Her friend's mother cut her trip short and managed to get back to town in just two hours and relieved her of her duty. She offered to come back later to help them out although did not mind the reprieve so she could at least change into something more comfy and not doused in paint.

She took out the mail from their rather overflowing mailbox as she passed it. Bills, bills, scam letter, more bills and a postcard from her parents who were cruising in the Bahamas. She smiled at her mother's cursive writing, so painstakingly neat. She missed her mother; she hasn't lived away from her parents since that first year of college with Fuuko. She was rather aware that she has somewhat acquired her mother's overbearing persona when it came to the maintenance of their house. She told herself that she'd try to be less stringent with Recca but couldn't help herself, her husband could be such a slob.

Once inside, she stacked the mail neatly on the coffee table, she'll take care of it tomorrow. She was about to enter the kitchen to fix her self a cup of tea when she heard odd noises from the second floor of the house. She furrowed her eyebrows but then remembered that she left Fuuko earlier. Perhaps she was still working on Yanagi's art room.

There was a thump and then a loud groan…a loud _male_ groan. What in Kami's name? She quietly made her way upstairs, the carpeted steps cushioning the sound of her feet. As she reached the landing, she saw that the door to her art room was shut, that wasn't the way she left it. She stealthily made her way to the door, absolutely certain that her presence would remain anonymous. She learned a trick or two about stealth, after all she was married to a certified ninja.

"Unnhhh…" That was definitely Fuuko. Moaning, but definitely not out of pain. Something was definitely up.

Her breathy voice came up again. "Mi- Mi- I'm so close."

Yanagi pressed her ear against the door.

"Hold on baby, I'm almost there," a deep voice rasped. She _knew_ that voice.

Wait? Was that? No way! There were a thousand things running through Yanagi's head right now…but Kami, could it be? Maybe it's something completely innocent.

"Damn it Mi-chan, you tease, I want you inside me right now!" Fuuko practically screamed.

Okay, maybe not so innocent. If Yanagi wasn't so shell shocked she would've flown back to the other side of the hallway and held on to the walls for dear life.

"Impatient, aren't we?" Tokiya said in a tone Yanagi never heard him speak in. Sexual and teasing.

"I know you love it when I get dominant on you," Fuuko purred.

"You know me too well. Tell me, how do you want me?" Tokiya said suavely.

Yanagi heard them shifting on the floor, _her_ art room floor, and figured they found a position they wanted because soon they were both groaning. She fled to her and Recca's bedroom and hid under the mattresses and though safe happy thoughts where Tokiya and Fuuko wouldn't even be caught dead holding hands.

…

"You should get back, I'm sure Mom and Ganko are wondering where you are," Fuuko said as she slipped her head back in her shirt's head hole.

Tokiya was fixing his buttons and gave her an injured look. "So after you got what you want from me you're throwing me out?"

"What can I say, I'm a 'wham-bam-thank you ma'am, er sir' kind of girl," she said playfully.

"Well I'm looking forward to getting whammed and bammed again," he said as he walked towards before leaning down to give her a kiss.

"Be careful, I'm not there to protect your ass," she said when he released her lips.

"I'll see you later." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again, this time with enough force to make her lean backwards. He took one last look at the woman he just ravished, and satisfied that her lips were swollen just enough stepped out of the room.

Fuuko made sure that everything was in order with her clothes and in the room before she went downstairs with intent to go to the kitchen and fixing herself and cup of coffee and maybe sneak in a stick of cigarette out on the patio. Tokiya never liked it when she smoked right after they made love but he wasn't around to reprimand her now.

She yelped in surprise when she saw a shadow lurking on the kitchen counter when she entered the unlit room.

"Yanagi, when did you get back?" she said, feigning innocence as she tried to calm her heart from thudding out of her chest.

"Half an hour ago, are you quite done defiling my art room now?"

_To be continued…_

**End Notes: **Dun-dun-dun! Cliffie!

**Next Chapter: **Wait for it.

**THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE MAKE ME HAPPY AND LEAVE ME A REVIEW! **


	6. Friday I'm In Love

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. "Friday I'm In Love" is by one of the best things that ever came out of the eighties 'The Cure' All the writers mentioned in this chapter also do not belong to me…they belong to themselves from what I hear.

**Author's Notes:** There are mature themes ahead. It will be a mix of fluff and angst. I'm really sorry that it took this long but I promise next one will come out sooner.

**Thank you Notes:** Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys bring a smile to my face everytime and urge me to keep writing. Thanks for the support! **l-shinogu, mjsweet86, kazeshinobi, larsha, cLoTiHeArT, JamJam-chan, SnowCharms, alf05, kyusetsuki satsuki, Jomai, malo, khryzle-chan, Nils, chloe21, ladylyris, aki reinhard, mischkaa, obsessed dreamer and Shenhui. I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!!**

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!**

_Last chapter:_

"_Yanagi, when did you get back?" she said, feigning innocence as she tried to calm her heart from thudding out of her chest._

"_Half an hour ago, are you quite done defiling my art room now?"_

**Chapter Six: Friday I'm In Love**

"I don't know what you're talking about," Fuuko said with a slight tremor in her voice. She unconsciously raised a hand to her heaving chest reminiscent of a Regency lady caught in some sort of anachronistic affair, 'O Sir, thou art mistaken, I wasn't humping the stable boy by the watering hole!' Fuuko would've laughed at the picture that popped into her head if it weren't for the murderous gaze Yanagi held.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't lie to me. I heard everything, Fuuko," Yanagi said with detached anger that shook Fuuko to her boots.

Fuuko could handle any physical threat thrown her way, no matter how strong and formidable the enemy was. But the look of distrust on her best friend's face broke through her walls in an instant and she found her self with her head bowed down, unable to look at the brown eyes staring at her with such unfamiliarity. "I'm sorry."

"If you're apologizing about getting caught, then don't bother," Yanagi said without a hint of hesitation.

Fuuko flinched at the verbal assault. Well, she supposed she deserved that. "Are you mad?" She inched slowly towards the chair opposite where Yanagi sat as if afraid that the girl would just spontaneously stab her with a kitchen knife.

"No."

She didn't know how she did it but somehow Fuuko managed to give her an incredulous look.

"Okay, maybe a little…fine, a lot. Seriously, my art room? That was supposed to be my sacred space, how am I supposed to work in that place knowing you two have humped like rabbits on my very sacred carpet!"

"I'm so sorry!" Fuuko groveled as she slumped down the kitchen stool and hid her head in the nest of her arms.

Yanagi neither accepted nor acknowledged her apology and asked the next question that promised she would not stop at one. "How long has this been going on?"

"On and off for four years," Fuuko answered truthfully.

Yanagi let out an audible gasp. "Didn't think it was that long."

Fuuko just shrugged. She never thought it would last so long herself.

The next question, she wasn't quite ready for. "What're you doing with him, Fuuko?"

The purple haired woman stared at her stupidly. "What do you mean?"

"If you were dating him or something akin to dating, I doubt you'd be going all Nancy Drew on our asses trying to hide it. So I ask you again, what're you doing with him?" Yanagi said severely.

"Having fun," she answered without conviction.

"I love Tokiya like a brother, but how can he use you like this? How can you let him use you like this?" the married woman asked, not even daring mask the hostility in her tone.

Anger flared up suddenly within the former wind wielder. "That's so sexist, Yanagi. So what if he's using me? I'm using him as well. We both got into this knowing the full implications of our actions; don't talk about me like I'm some wide eyed virgin. I like sex and he's very good at delivering that."

Yanagi did not flinch at her innuendoes or the crudeness with which her friend addressed her. "I know that Fuuko, but I've known you for years, I know you're not the type to just settle with a physical relationship, it would never be enough for you."

"Maybe it's enough for me," she answered without meeting Yanagi's eyes.

"Is it Fuuko? A couple of weeks I can pass of as just lust, but four years…it wouldn't last that long if it was just sex," Yanagi pressed.

Fuuko became suddenly engrossed at an invisible stain on the marble kitchen counter. "Please don't make me think."

Something tugged at Yanagi's heartstrings. In all the years they've known each other she had never seen Fuuko seem so helpless. And even though the inner busybody screamed at her to knock some sense into the woman, to tell her that the moment's happiness is not enough for the heartache that she's clearly setting herself up for, she knew that it was not what Fuuko needed. She could practically see the lines blurring in Fuuko's head. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

A sad smile graced the soft contours of Fuuko's face. "Thanks Yanagi, I really do appreciate your concern, but this isn't something that I can't handle."

"I really hope so, Fuuko, I really hope so."

…

It was the perfect night for walking. The stars were spread out across the sea of sky, their shine so bright they crossed each others perimeter giving the night a milky glow. It was cool enough so that she had to put on her jacket but warm enough that she doesn't need to close the zipper upfront. The streets were bare, as if everyone in the world decided to turn in early. Much too perfect to stay indoors, so Fuuko decided to make a side trip to the old park two blocks from her house.

In the years she was away the park fell into a bad state of deterioration. The ground was sprouted weeds and the grass probably half a foot taller. Gone were the flower shrubs, in their place wooden crates that served as home for stray cats and possibly rodents. The monkey bars were missing several teeth and the only thing left of the see-saw was the rusty pipe that once held it. Her eyes searched for the swing set she loved so much as a child and found that of the two seats one managed to survive, albeit barely. She dug her heels on the mushy ground, it must've rained while she was at Yanagi's, and made her way towards the swing. She could still see faint traces of bright yellow on the seat but mostly the wood was waterlogged giving it an unhealthy coffee color. Using the sleeve of her jersey, she wiped the surface clean and sat. The metal chains holding it up squeaked in pain as she moved carefully back and forth. It bothered her for a while but eventually decided that it should be able to support her weight, she was rather light. She found a rhythm and soon she was swinging lightly without thought.

Fuuko reached for her pocket and took out a half-empty pack of Capri lights. She had to pause from swinging so she could light up. She always had to pause when she lit up, she knew people who can light a cigarette while walking or doing any sort of movement but she could never do that, she just always had to pause and sometimes that really pissed her off. She took a puff and let the nicotine glide down her lungs, enjoying the feeling and the taste. Tokiya hated that she smoked but never did anything to stop her. It wasn't his place to anyway, and it's not like she'll listen to him should he ever ask her. Although sometimes she wished that he would, because it would tell her that he cared enough to not want her to develop lung cancer.

And then she thought he never really told her to do anything. Oh he would tell her about her bad habits, things like her smoking or drinking or tendency to date jobless losers but he never once advised her against any of them. Nothing like 'Fuuko stop smoking' or 'Fuuko you need to go to rehab' or 'Fuuko, seriously, don't date men whose idea of achievement is bathing once a week.' She'd like to think that it was because he had complete faith in her judgment that he knew that at some point she'd be able to right herself, on her own time, in her own way. But then again maybe he just really did not care at all.

"Bastard."

"I definitely hope you're not thinking about me right now."

She must've been so immersed in her thoughts that she did not notice Tokiya as his boots made slushy sounds on the ground as he approached her. He held a folded up black umbrella in his right hand. He was probably the only person she knew who could make that look dignified and extremely manly. She only gave him a faint smile in response and if he thought anything of it, she couldn't tell.

"Do you mind scooting over?" he asked as he propped the umbrella against the triangular stands of the swing.

"There isn't really that much room," she said, waving her hand over the two inch space on either side of her thighs.

"In that case…" He took hold of her wrist and pulled her up to stand before he took her place on the seat and placed her on his lap.

"What're you doing here?" Fuuko asked as she steadied herself both hands holding on to the metal chains.

"Your mother was worried about you since you weren't answering your phone," he said.

Right, her mother. "My battery's dead."

"Well, I offered to wait for you round the corner; then I saw you here. Could tell that shade from a mile away," he continued, running his fingers through her locks.

"Hmm."

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Alright."

"You're not going to ask more?"

He shrugged and looked at her oddly. She wanted to hit herself, in all the years she knew him Tokiya never pressed any further about anything. Why should he start now?

Tokiya traced her jaw line with a single finger before tipping her chin so that ice blue met warm browns. "If you really need to tell me something, you'll come around."

Something about his voice warmed her hands.

He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist while a hand caressed her cheek lightly before he pressed it on her nape onto his anticipating lips. He took advantage on her parted lips and delved his tongue inside the sweetness of her mouth.

They were both breathless by the time they parted. He had the ghost of a smile on his lips. "I miss making out with you in public."

Fuuko let out a light chuckle. She remembered days when he would take her out to the park during his lunch break, picnic basket in one hand and brief case on the other, and they would spend ten minutes eating and the rest making out like two high school sweethearts skipping Geometry for more enjoyable activities. She wondered how many children innocently playing they have scarred for life.

"I doubt it counts as public when no one's around," she countered.

Tokiya quirked an eyebrow, a boyish demeanor taking over him and said, "There are benefits to not having anyone around though." She felt wandering fingers on her thigh.

Fuuko giggled as she weakly pushed his hand away. He was adorable when he was being playful. "Stop it!"

The smirk never left his face as he insisted on rubbing her thighs. "I promise I'll be gentle," he breathed into her ear as he raised the arm on her waist so he can trace circles on the side of her breast.

"No!" she squealed between giggles.

"Oh, Fuu-chan, but we've been waiting so long," he said, taking on a whiny voice. She laughed at that; Tokiya sometimes indulged in role play and one night at the movies they made up this story of her being the virginal schoolgirl while he was the horny upperclassman trying to get some. That was his favorite because Fuuko thought it was fucking hilarious.

"Tokiya, honestly!" she teasingly admonished.

He tickled her sides mercilessly which left thrashing on top of him. The swing squeaked in protest but both were deaf to its warnings and soon the two toppled on the soft ground, Tokiya on his back and Fuuko sprawled on top of him. After the initial shock their eyes found each others before bursting into a fresh wave of laughter.

…

On Friday afternoon Tokiya found himself in the company of Takashi Kirisawa inside a second-hand bookstore on the cheap wing of the town mall. He loved the smell of old books, they brought about faint memories of her sister on a lazy Sunday as she read works C.S Lewis to him.

Takashi found him sitting on the far end of the fifth aisle, curled up with a ratty copy of Carl Sagan's 'Contact.'

"Didn't peg you for the sci-fi type," Takashi said in greeting.

"Carl Sagan writes believable yet fantastic plots," he said, lifting his eyes from the page.

"I take it you approve of the shop?"

Tokiya just motioned to a plastic grocery basket beside him already filled with titles from Asimov to Malamud to Kawabata. "Ten yen per book is quite the bargain."

"Fantastic! Oh, Tokiya-san, I hope you don't mind if I brought a co-worker," Takashi said.

The silver-haired man shook his head. "It's no problem at all."

"Great, oh here she comes," he said.

She?

As if on cue a woman wearing a navy blue sun dress emerged from the other aisle; Tokiya couldn't help but be beguiled, she was rather stunning. She had long, shiny black hair, her skin had an impeccable glow, lips set in a perfect pout and a chiseled nose topped with the most beautiful shade of blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"Tokiya-san, this is my co-teacher, Asuka Kishimoto. She teaches Creative Writing at the college. Asuka this is my sister's friend, the one I was telling you about, he's here for a vacation," Tokiya heard Takashi speaking but never took his eyes off the woman in front of him.

Asuka held out her hand to him. "It's a pleasure."

Tokiya stood up and wiped his palms on his pants, dusty from the yellowing pages of the books, before he took her hand in his. "Pleasure's all mine."

She gave him a shy smile, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

"Do you want to look around more, Tokiya-san?" Takashi interrupted.

"Well I've circled the place twice already. I went here earlier than scheduled," he said sheepishly, "but if you guys want to peruse some more go ahead, I'm sure there's a title I've missed."

Asuka suddenly brightened as she spotted a book behind Tokiya. She excused herself and reached on the shelf over Tokiya's shoulder. It was an old Murakami title.

"You're a fan of Murakami too?" Tokiya inquired.

"Very much so, when I was in college I actually had the chance to meet him at a workshop," she said brightly.

Tokiya was elated, other people got excited over second degree meetings with celebrities, he did it over writers. "That's fascinating. What's he like? I've always wondered."

She giddily answered him; obviously she had the same reaction about fictionists. "Much like his stories, twisted and perverted but oddly endearing."

He chuckled at that.

Takashi looked between the two and decided to excuse himself so they could talk more. They spent the next two hours poring over books. She suggested several of the more obscure titles and encouraged him to read authors that he'd never dared touch like Margaret Atwood or A.S. Byatt. Tokiya found it refreshing to talk with someone who understood his passion for the written word.

After the bookshop the three went to the coffee shop right next door for cappuccino and more literary discussions.

"Where's Fuuko, by the way," Takashi opened as he blew on his hot cup of coffee.

"Working, again," Tokiya said exasperatedly. She always called him a workaholic not realizing that she was a worse one herself.

"What can I say, my sister's dedicated," Takashi said laughingly.

"I'm just waiting for her to pass out in the middle of an event so I can lock her in her room and give her a mandatory rest," Tokiya returned seriously.

"Is it that bad?"

"She works late hours and even on weekends. Let's not forget that her work actually encourages bad habits," Tokiya said with a roll of his eyes.

Asuka asked curiously, "What does she do?"

Takashi answered, "She's an events manager. Lives for the party, dies for the party."

"That sounds exciting," she answered.

"Well if you're into the glitz and glamour, it is very exciting," Takashi said.

Asuka just nodded. "I'd love to meet her."

"Why don't we drop by Mom's house, I'm sure she'll be home," Takashi suggested.

Asuka smiled and agreed.

…

It was half past ten when they arrived at the Kirisawa residence. All lights were off and Tokiya thought everyone had turned in. He was about to wave Takashi and Asuka goodbye when a red Porsche screeched to a stop, barely missing the gate. Fuuko lumbered out of the passenger seat, a shaking hand clutching her heart.

Tokiya rushed to her side as she missed step and almost fell if not for his sturdy arms. He could smell the alcohol from her hair. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Kami, remind me to never get in a car with someone even drunker than I am," she said woozily.

He felt his anger flare up. He hit the hood of the car with his palm and yelled at the anonymous driver. "Are you fucking crazy?! You could've killed her."

The driver stepped out and Tokiya immediately recognized the man with the leather jacket, dreadlocks, pierced eyebrows and rosary tattoo on his gaping chest. Ken Kosuke. Lead singer for the famous rock band Druid and Fuuko's mistake when she was 23. And again when she was 25. And one more time when she was 28. He hated that fucking bastard, he was an unrepentant junkie who treated Fuuko like garbage when he didn't even deserve to worship the soles of her feet. What the hell did she see in him?

"Look man," he slurred, "I thought I was fine, she needed a ride home okay? Thought I could do as much for an ex-girlfriend."

Fuuko placed her hands on Tokiya's chest. "Tokiya it's my fault for getting in the car in the first place."

But he ignored her plea. "Listen you fucking asshole, don't you ever come near her again, you understand? I don't care if you kill yourself but if you ever so much as hurt her pinky I will fucking hunt you down and kill you."

Ken's eyes swirled into an eerie grey. "What's your problem man, she's my woman and you're just her roommate!"

Tokiya wrapped an arm protectively around Fuuko. "She's not your woman."

"Still jealous that I got to bang her all those years ago?" Ken taunted with a malicious smirk.

Tokiya almost lunged at him if Fuuko hadn't stopped him. "Ken, just get in the car and drive, thank you for the ride but I think it's best that you leave."

"But babe--"

"I'm not your babe, now go!"

The man scrambled back in and drove away, knocking down some garbage cans in the process.

Tokiya took Fuuko by the shoulders and turned her around. "What the hell were you thinking going with him? He's bad news Fuuko."

She hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. He offered to drive me home since I couldn't get a ride. He seemed fine at the time; he must've taken E or some other shit before we left and things just got messy on the highway."

"You could've called me, I would've picked you up," he said.

"I tried but you weren't answering and I figured you were having fun with my brother and I didn't think it was fair to have you serve as my personal chauffeur on your vacation," she explained. A surge of guilt flooded Tokiya's senses; he had felt his mobile vibrate in his jeans but ignored it because he was having too good a time talking with Asuka.

"Nee-chan, you okay?" Takashi said, coming up from behind Fuuko. In the melee Tokiya had completely forgotten that he was still there.

"Shaken but not stirred," Fuuko said, welcoming a hug from her brother. She only then noticed the woman standing behind her brother. "Hi, we've never met."

"Oh, how rude of me, this is Asuka, my co-teacher. She went with Tokiya-san and me at the bookshop," he introduced.

"Hey," Fuuko said with a small wave, "wish we could've met under better circumstances. You know, in broad daylight and without my lunatic ex-boyfriend."

"I don't mind, I don't think I've ever had as much excitement in my life. Was that Ken Kosuke?" she said shyly.

"Yes, not as charming in real life as he is in his music videos. It's the lighting, I think," Fuuko said jokingly.

Asuka laughed. "Uh, wait, your name is Fuuko…you mean you're the Fuuko the song was talking about? His wind nymph that made tears fall from his lips?"

Tokiya cringed, the bastard wrote all these romantic ballads about Fuuko, proclaiming how much he loved her and everyone believed it. If only they knew what went on behind closed doors.

"The one and only, I just wish he actually lived every word he wrote," Fuuko said with a bit of an edge in her tone.

"He's quite the poet, then," Asuka commented carefully.

Tokiya stiffened, stopping the vile words to come out of his tongue. In his world, Ken Kosuke was no poet, just a chauvinistic vermin who hurt Fuuko time and time again.

"So you were with Tokiya all this time?" Fuuko's voice broke through her reverie.

"Oh yes, your brother introduced us. I'm a professor in Creative Writing and I always enjoy the company of people who love fiction," Asuka said.

"I see. Well, that's good then, he could use someone who'd understand what he's talking about. He just bores me to death half the time and I'm beginning to think he resents me for it," she said with forced humor.

"Yes, we're actually planning on going to another bookstore across town on Sunday," Asuka said.

"With my brother?"

Takashi shook his head. "Got a family thing on Sunday. You know, the wife is feeling neglected."

"Just the two of you then," Fuuko said, ignoring her brother.

Asuka bit her lip.

Fuuko looked at her watch to fill the void. "It's time for me to turn in. All the drama has caught up on me," she said theatrically.

Tokiya held onto her wrist, stalling her. "I'm coming with you."

She looked at him as if he had two heads. "No, no, you go ahead and have fun. Or at least offer to drive Asuka home."

"Takashi's going to do that, her home is on the way," he readily answered, "and I don't trust you to go up the stairs without falling down and breaking your neck."

Fuuko waved him off and shook her wrist out of his hold. "Good night y'all, pardon Mi-chan he thinks I'm two." She walked on ahead without waiting for him.

He bid short good nights to both Asuka and Takashi before following Fuuko inside. She was halfway up the stairs when he caught up with her and just as he'd expected, slipped on the balustrade and almost fell if he wasn't there to catch her.

"Told you," he said.

"Ugh, I hate it when you act all high handed." She was genuinely irked. How dare him treat her like she couldn't take care of herself. But she let him guide her all the way upstairs because she honestly didn't think she'd make it on her own. When they got to the landing she went rigid in surprise when he hugged her waist from behind her and buried his nose in the nook of her shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that," he said.

"It wasn't my intention to scare you," she chuckled.

He tightened his arms around her. "It's not funny. If something happened to you…I just don't know what I'd do." He turned her around to face him, hands glued to her waist and bent down to kiss her but she put a finger on his mouth to stop him.

"You have a date," she said with a small smile, "arrangement officially ends." She'd said those words to him before but this time didn't end it with '_for now.'_ Two words that meant so much and she wondered if he noticed.

"It's not a date."

"You like her, I can tell. And besides, we've been at this for a while now, way too long actually. Maybe I should try being alone, for real this time. I've depended on other people for too long now," she whispered.

There was a clench in his heart, a lump in his throat, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He just wasn't ready to let this go, not yet. He wanted to say something, to convince her that they didn't have to stop, not just yet, he still needed her. But she was the one who wanted to stop, the one who let him go, and even if he didn't want to, he had to respect her decision.

"At least let me have a goodbye kiss," he croaked.

She quirked her mouth and lightly touched her lips on his. It wasn't nearly enough but again she let him go before he was ready.

_To be continued…_

**End Notes: **I really hated writing this chapter. GOD I HATE TAKASHI AND ASUKA AND I MADE THEM UP! WHY OH WHY DID I CHOOSE TO WRITE THIS STORY! WAH!

**Next Chapter: **More things that leave me depressed. And more smart alecky things from Fuuko's mouth to keep me happy. Plus Recca/Domon/Fuuko circle action because the three of them will always be the coolest and I always have fun with them. YAY FOR DOMON AND RECCA NON ANGSTINESS!!! YAY!!!

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND I DO HOPE YOU TAKE A MOMENT TO REVIEW!**


	7. If She Knew What She Wants

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Flame of Recca and all its characters. Chapter title 'If She Knew What She Wants' is by The Bangles. 'My Sharona' belongs to The Knacks.

**Author's Notes:** Hope you enjoy this chapter. Not the best, don't know why, somehow it just depressed me.

**Thank you Notes:**_**Thanks to all my reviewers, love, love and more love to all of you. Every review encourages me to continue:**_ **larsha** (hope this is soon enough) **lil'el** (I'm glad, I enjoy writing it too!) **JamJam-chan** (Aw, I'm sorry about that but it pleases me that I could bring out some emotion in my readers, it makes me think that I've somehow written something worth reading. Thank you!)** kazeshinobi** (Well, I think with people like them, things are never easy. Sometimes people just make it difficult for themselves because happiness scares them. I'm glad you're still willing to read my fic though!) **l-shinogu** (it definitely isn't the main drama, I have more up my sleeve, hehe –insert evil laughter-) **malo** (I'm really itching to write that date scene, not sure if y'all will be happy with me though, hehe) **mizzie** (meep, hope it doesn't distract you too much!) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (they're uncooperative idiots, that they are. Hope you enjoy this chapter!) **aki reinhart** (Aw, thanks!) **alf05** (uncertainty can make people not do things and that's what's Tokiya's reaction was all about. But yeah, it pisses me off to, but I can't make things easy for them!) **abubi-chan** (have faith in my tofuu love darling!) **cLoTiHeArT** (Pfft, she can't steal him away, our Fuuko is more competition than she can handle! Without even trying!) **mischkaa** (updated!)** mjsweet86** (and read on to see if your theory is true, love, hee!) **khryzle-chan** (wah, I haven't gotten it yet! Stupid postal system! And I love Tokiya too, hihi) **SnowCharms** (Let's hope I'll opt for sooner…but not really sure, am on evil writer mode) **tofuu **( oh, wow four am? I'm flattered! Thanks!) **tofuu** (a different tofuu? Heh, but you're the first person who said they like Fuuko in this story and I'm glad because I sort of love her here and I'm glad one other person shares the sentiment.) **Nils** (Hope this update wasn't too long for you!) **skysenshi** (I'm contemplating on bringing in another guy, but not in a way that you expect…) **Od** (OMG! I am so tempted to write a spin-off featuring that scene! It would be so cute, I have lines in my head and I just might bring out like a little vignette! Thanks!) **Windstream** (Thank you! Hope you like this chapter!)

**PLEASE ENJOY THIS CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW!**

**Chapter Seven: If She Knew What She Wants**

Fuuko rested her back on the carpeted floor, arms raised above and pillowing her head. She admired her handiwork, the smooth and even layers was soothing to the touch and the eyes. Yanagi made her come back on Saturday morning to re-paint her art room since hot pink was apparently now tainted. Fuuko was more than happy to coat it with a classier rich marigold. Definitely much better.

Fuuko felt Yanagi's footsteps padding nearer her head before the girl lay down on the floor as well, their bodies forming a straight line on the carpet, the top of their hairs touching each other's.

"So now that we're done with the painting, mind telling me why you're acting like someone just tube fed you a bottle of Ritalin?" Yanagi opened. When it came to Fuuko, she knew that trying to soften the blow is absolutely fruitless and one might as well get straight to the point.

"I ended it."

Yanagi abruptly sat up. "When did this happen?"

"Last night. I told him we had to stop whatever it was we were doing. He never even made a squeak of protest," she said with a wan smile.

"Fuuko…" Yanagi wanted to tell her it was for the best, that she made the right decision, but how could you say that to your best friend when her eyes had lost a little of its color and the shine of her smile waned down just a little but enough to make anyone realize it wasn't real.

The wind goddess sat up slowly and faced Yanagi. "I know what you're thinking, and you're right. It may not have been a real relationship, but it was holding me back. In a way it was just like my relationship with Ken minus all the drama, I insisted on being with someone who could never give me what I wanted."

Yanagi's mouth curled into a moue thoughtfully. "I don't know, maybe you two just never gave each other a chance to do that."

Fuuko shook her head and chuckled mirthlessly. "I want a home, I want a family and he doesn't believe in marriage. He can't even stand children! I guess this is me finally growing up, learning to make the hard decisions instead of always taking the shortcut."

Yanagi only nodded, she had a feeling that Fuuko didn't need advice at the moment, just someone to listen.

"And besides, he met someone. My own brother introduced them. He said it's not a date, but you know, you don't ask someone you've just met to go across town to some rundown bookshop or some shit like that if you're not interested. She's perfect, so beautiful, looks really classy and apparently smart; teaches at the college and all and managed to ensnare Mi-chan's intellectual side. I bet she likes visiting art galleries too, and listens to stupid classical music and…" Fuuko stopped, choking on the tears she hadn't realized were falling.

Yanagi crawled to her side and wrapped her arms tightly around Fuuko's shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispered as she smoothed down Fuuko's hair.

"I don't know why it hurts so much Yanagi, I don't want it to hurt so much. I can't put myself through this, please stop making it hurt," she mumbled in a stream of consciousness.

"Don't do this to yourself, you're stronger than this Fuuko," she encouraged although she wasn't sure she believed her own words.

"I don't want to be in love with him," she breathed out.

"I think it's a little too late." And though her words broke Fuuko's heart, she couldn't help but be thankful that she was in the arms of a friend who truly cared for her, because she really needed a good cry.

* * *

There was a frantic knock on Yanagi's front door, so frantic that she rushed towards it in full kitchen gear; apron, mittens and ladle in her left hand help up like she was about to sauté someone to death. Her heart pounded in her chest thinking that if someone was so desperate to get to her, there might be a real tragic news waiting for her. She was slightly miffed but over all relieved when she found a perfectly healthy Fuuko on the other side of the door. Although her best friend did seem highly distressed.

"Get dressed, you're coming with me!" Fuuko said without preamble.

Yanagi just stared at her with a perplexed look on her face. "I can't, I'm making dinner."

"This is important!" the purple haired woman screamed, the frustration flaming in her eyes.

Yanagi breathed deeply to calm herself before pulling Fuuko inside with her still mitten clad hand. "Okay, do you mind telling me first what this is about?"

Fuuko immediately launched into breath deprived rant. "Okay, see, Mi-chan sort of arranged for us to take Shuichi, you know Shuichi, my nephew? Yeah him, we're taking him to the amusement park today and that's all fine and dandy, and you know, it'll be awkward, for me, I'm not sure for him, I don't know! But I figured you know I could stand a few hours to be with him, Shuichi will be there and he can serve as an unwitting buffer. And then after I went home this morning, I was going to ask him what time we were going to leave and his door was slightly ajar and I really didn't mean to eavesdrop but it's a good thing I did but anyway he was talking to HER. And he asked her if she wanted to come along! And him I can stand, but him with her, I'm not ready for that and so I rushed back here and I completely forgot I'm not wearing a bra, see what this is doing to me? I rushed back here in a white t-shirt without wearing a bra! And I walked in the rain so I've just given a good number of construction workers two blocks down a free show! They were all whistling and yelling that they got what I want! Do you know how traumatic that is?"

Yanagi almost burst out laughing but figured Fuuko wouldn't appreciate that. "Okay, shush, don't worry I'm coming with you. Give me half an hour to change and I'll just leave Recca a note. Alright?"

Rain soaked Fuuko hugged her friend tightly and held on to her as if she was her source of life. "Thank you!"

"No problem." Yanagi hugged her back; Fuuko needed her right now and she couldn't leave her friend hanging.

Half an hour later Yanagi had changed into a pair of jeans and printed baby doll shirt, she lent Fuuko an old denim jacket that covered her breasts quite nicely to save her from the embarrassment of having her nipples puckering clearly through her shirt. As soon as they stepped inside the Kirisawa's home they were greeted by Tokiya's figure sitting on the armed chair entertaining four guests looking very much as if he was regular fixture in Fuuko's home and not just a temporary houseguest. On the couch sat Fuuko's brother Takashi, his wife Ayame, their son Shuichi and a third person Yanagi did not recognize. Although she had a vague idea that this was the HER they had been talking about and Yanagi was glad that she held an immediate dislike for the girl. What can she say? She was extremely adept at playing a girl's best friend.

Tokiya heard them scuffle and looked up to watch a well made-up Yanagi and a washed down Fuuko. "Did you go out in the rain?"

"Yes, I was bored and walking in the rain without my bra on seemed like a good pick me up," Fuuko answered before she could stop herself.

Yanagi laughed rather forcefully before she dragged Fuuko by the hand. "We'll just go upstairs and change, we'll see you in a bit."

"I'll come along," Ayame said suddenly. There was something in her face that told Yanagi that she really wanted to get away from the current group.

As soon as they were in the safety of Fuuko's room Ayame immediately let out what was bothering her. "I hate that woman!"

Yanagi and Fuuko looked at each other and then looked back at Ayame.

"I do hope you're not referring to either one of us," Fuuko opened.

Ayame waved them off with a small chuckle. "Oh no, Kami, sorry for the confusion. I meant that woman downstairs. And I want to strangle my husband, he knows I can't stand her. There is something off; she's just too perfect, she just has to be evil. That and she keeps insisting Takashi stay late hours to do research. I swear that bitch is after my husband."

"If you must know, I found her annoying at first sight too," Yanagi added.

"Yanagi!" Fuuko berated. She didn't exactly like the idea of Asuka living happily ever after with Tokiya but she was not about to condone bashing a woman for the sole reason that she's, well, attractive. It was against her principles.

"What? I have the prerogative to hate someone for completely no reason. Besides, there's just something about her, like if I had the choice I wouldn't introduce her to my husband, if you know what I mean," Yanagi said.

"It's a married woman's instinct, Fuuko," Ayame added.

"Exactly," Yanagi agreed.

Fuuko looked at her dubiously. "You've been married three weeks."

Yanagi gave her an unrepentant shrug. "Whatever, I don't like her."

Ayame continued ranting. "It seems though that she had found a way to leech onto Tokiya-san. She was passing by when we were about to leave under the guise of bringing papers and managed to invite herself to your little outing with Shuichi. I would say she's taken quite a liking to your Mi-chan," she finished with distaste.

Fuuko tried not to let any emotion betray her face and cast a warning glare towards Yanagi to do the same. "Aren't you at least glad she's no longer after my brother? If she ever was, that is."

"I don't want her after any man, I know, period," Ayame said, "and I don't like the way she talks to me. She's rather on the obnoxious and condescending side. She talks down on you if you don't have a doctorate degree plastered on your wall."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Fuuko said as she turned around and started rummaging through her closet to find something extremely sexy yet appropriate. It was a lot harder than she thought.

"She told me that the reason I ended up a _mere_ housewife was because I never finished college," Ayame said.

"She what?!" Fuuko and Yanagi exclaimed simultaneously.

"Exact words."

"And what did my stupid brother say?" Fuuko said a small flare of annoyance in her tone.

"He said he was sure she didn't mean it in a bad way," Ayame said with a snort.

"And what did you say?" Yanagi pressed.

"I said he could sleep on the couch," she answered with an evil grin.

The three women burst into laughter.

It didn't take too long for Fuuko to get ready. After years of practice, she had mastered the art of glamming it up. And tonight she needed to be gorgeous, because she just needed to slap in their faces how fucking fabulous she was. It was shallow and childish, she knew that, but damn it, she was hurt and looking hot was always the best revenge. Alright, so she was the one that ended things with him, but did he have to parade his new girl in front of her so soon? Asshole…okay, it's not like he knew she was kind of sort of falling for him or if she were to use Yanagi's words hopelessly in love, but still. Damn it, why did she have to be here?

Yanagi and Ayame went downstairs while she finished her make up. Fuuko took a look at her reflection one more time on the full body mirror in her room. She decided to forego the severe black eyeliner for tonight, her trademark look, deciding that her object was not to intimidate people into submitting to her demands. But she did keep her blood red lipstick, few women could carry red lipstick and she knew she was one of those women. She wore a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a long white razorback shirt that showcased her cleavage whenever she bent down. A wide brown and white polka dotted belt hung loosely on her hips. On her feet were her brown Jimmy Choo flats, she was tall enough to pull off skinny jeans with flats. For accessories she opted for small diamond studs (her Birthday gift for herself when she turned 27) and the watch Tokiya gave her for Christmas. Sizing herself up and deciding she looked fab yet subtle, she grabbed her Loewe purse from her vanity (she pulled out all the designer stops here, as if she wanted to slap on that woman's face that she was gorgeous _and_ earned a lot of money) and went downstairs.

"Hope I didn't make you guys wait too long," she said airily.

Before Tokiya could even answer she rushed over to Shuichi's side and gave her nephew a hug. "Hey sport, how've you been?"

"Fine, but school sucks," the boy said grouchily.

"Oh but school is very good for you, Shuichi-chan," Asuka said from behind Fuuko.

Fuuko resisted the urge to roll her eyes since Shuichi was right in front of her. "She has a point, but I have to agree with you, school does suck."

"Nee-chan!"

Fuuko smirked at her brother. "What, you want me to lie to your son?"

"No, just don't be so blunt," Takashi said.

Fuuko grinned and turned to Shuichi once more. "Think of it this way, Shu-chan, if you do really well in school it can go by a lot faster and then you get to have a job that pays lots of money and you can buy a robot that would do all your chores for you."

Takashi just sighed defeated. He can't believe he's making this woman godmother of his second-born.

Shuichi beamed, this was why he liked his Aunt Fuuko so much; she never tried to be his mother like most of the women his parents knew. He already had one and she was already too much for him. It's not that she lets him get away with things; it's just that she always acted as if she knew what it was like to be constantly in trouble. And she gave cool presents.

"Let's go," Fuuko asked Shuichi, offering her hand to him. Shuichi gladly took it.

"Um, Fuuko," Tokiya said, grabbing her attention before she could step out the door, "Asuka-san's coming with us. Do you mind?"

Fuuko shrugged and flashed him a smile. "Of course not, I mean I dragged Yanagi along. I'd figured Shuichi and I will get bored with just you for company," she said, trying to sound teasing.

"Yeah, Aunt Fuuko, he can get boring and he glares a lot," Shuichi added helpfully.

Fuuko snickered at the offended reaction of Tokiya's face but quieted down when he shot her a dirty look. He stepped out the door first, Shuichi hot on his heels and Fuuko close behind. Out of habit Tokiya opened the door to the front passenger seat and motioned Fuuko to get in but she went past him and opened the door to the backseat. She let Shuichi in first and sat beside him. Yanagi opened the door on the other side and sat next to Shuichi. That left Asuka to sit up front next to Tokiya.

It would've been a quiet ride if not for Shuichi's incessant questions answered by Fuuko's rather eccentric answers. When Shuichi asked where babies came from and Fuuko answered from between your mother's legs and he followed it up with 'what's between your mother's legs' she answered with 'a lot of pain', Tokiya lost it and laughed with uncharacteristic abandon. Fuuko couldn't stop the pleased grin on her face, he always told her she was one of two people who could make him laugh; the other one was Steve Carrell.

"Fuuko-san," Asuka started carefully, "perhaps questions like these should be addressed by Shuichi's parents. It may be rather amusing but it would not do to confuse the child."

Ayame's words rang in Fuuko's ears. Oh my God, where does this woman get off? Does she regularly scold people she'd barely shared two sentences with? She looked over at Yanagi and could see the woman was very close to hitting Asuka with something very sharp.

"It's okay Asuka-san, Takashi was very good at confusing me as a child too and I think I turned out just fine," Fuuko said brightly.

"Nah, I think you're missing a few screws," Tokiya chided.

"Takes one to know one," Fuuko threw right back. He smiled at her from the rear view mirror and she pretended not to see it.

* * *

They arrived at the outdoor amusement park at sundown. The sky already had a soft violet hue so Fuuko took off her sun visors and placed them neatly inside her clutch bag. She led the group towards the ticket counter and got passes for four adults and one child. She was about to take out her wallet when Tokiya appeared behind her. He slipped his hand in the space between her waist and arm and handed his credit card to the pimply teenager at the booth.

Fuuko twisted her head around so she could look up at him in askance. He only grinned smugly at her and made no attempts to move away and even went so far as to rest his hand on her waist, while his other hand rested on the counter. When he started moving his thumb in slow circles on her clothed skin, she smacked it away and moved out of the slight embrace.

"If you're going to be paying then you don't need me here," she said before turning around and standing beside Yanagi who appeared to be in excruciating pain while Asuka talked to her.

Fuuko caught snippets of their conversation. Asuka was probably asking Yanagi about her work and her friend gave her short and polite answers through gritted teeth. Knowing now that Asuka had a penchant for accidentally insulting people, she wondered if the woman said something to make Yanagi look as if she just swallowed a tub of wasabi.

"What's up?" Fuuko greeted as she tackled Shuichi who stood between the two women before carrying the kid in her arms. A little too big and heavy to be carried around but Fuuko always prided herself for her superhuman strength.

"Just talking," Yanagi said. "You two look so cute together! Let me take a shot." She took out her Canon SLR digital camera that was slung its case over her shoulder. It was an older version that she used for personal outings. Her new camera was reserved for work. Her primary job description may be as graphics designer for a local digital arts studio but Yanagi dabbled in photography and took freelance jobs on the side.

Yanagi brought the camera near her face while Fuuko flashed a toothy grin and Shuichi gave a scowl. The aunt and nephew really did look adorable together. After she took the shot Tokiya appeared behind Yanagi, four blue ID bracelets and a single yellow one in his hand. He handed one to Yanagi and one to Asuka. The yellow one he took and slipped on Shuichi's hand. Fuuko held out her palm to take a blue bracelet but Tokiya decided that since she was holding a not so tiny child he might as well put it on her himself. He held onto her wrist a bit longer than necessary and Fuuko pulled away, not as smoothly as she would've wanted it to look like.

"So what do you want to do first, Shuichi?" Tokiya asked the child in Fuuko's arms.

"I want to go to the Mirror house!" Shuichi exclaimed, raising both hands above his head and hitting Fuuko's nose in the process.

Yanagi shuddered. "Ugh, no, not the Mirror house, bad memories."

Tokiya flushed. Fuuko snickered but quickly disguised it with the act of rubbing her nose.

"Is there a story here?" Asuka asked curiously.

"No!" Tokiya suddenly snapped. He didn't quite relish his days as a psychotic stalker.

Unable to hold it in, Fuuko started laughing maniacally and Yanagi tried to suppress her giggles. He flashed them both warning looks but it was rather pointless since both women were immune to it. So he opted to take Shuichi off Fuuko's arms as the boy was at the brink of falling on his butt since the woman was laughing so much and walked alone towards the entrance. Asuka trailed behind, still completely clueless while Yanagi and Fuuko tried to hold each other up in between their bouts laughter. Seriously, it wasn't that funny. What evil women.

The moment Tokiya set Shuichi down the boy ran amuck and twirled around like a top, marveling at the lights and the sounds, trying to decide which ride he wanted to go on first. Fuuko came up beside him and bumped his hip with hers playfully as they walked together, both eyes watching Shuichi's movements.

"The Mirror house incident wasn't that horrible," she said in a low voice.

"Well you weren't the one running around cutting people's hairs off trying to make them look like your deceased sister," he muttered.

She snorted. "Yeah, I suppose that was bad. But you know, that's where you sort of, kind of, first met me. All our fates intertwined that day."

He shrugged. "But that wasn't where I first saw you, you know."

She gave him a cheeky grin. "So you finally admit that you noticed me at school even before?"

He shook his head, a superior look etched on his face. "When I first saw you, you were butt naked…just got beaten by the sea monkey."

Her eyes widened. "Now I did not know that!"

Tokiya slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to walk closer beside him. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "And I've got to say, you look even better these days." She didn't miss the suggestiveness in his words.

Tokiya felt Fuuko stiffen in his arms and pushed him away gruffly. "Stop it."

He turned to look at her quizzically. "What did I do?"

She gave him an incredulous look, face taut with disbelief. "You're flirting with me, are you forgetting that you're technically on a date with three tag-alongs?" she said in hushed annoyance.

"It's not a date, and if I recall the original plan was you and me and Shuichi until you tagged Yanagi along. Asuka called me and told me she was on the way with your brother, I asked her to come along out of politeness; I didn't think she'd actually say yes. And besides, I'm not flirting with you, I'm just acting normally and I've said worse things before and you never minded. How is it different now?" he said, trying to keep his voice low even though he could feel the heat in his head rising.

"It's different because a girl you like is lurking in the background. I don't want to look like the slut slinking around her supposed date," she hissed.

"Why do you insist that I like her?"

"Are you telling me you're not the least bit interested?" she challenged.

Tokiya ran a hand through his hair and growled in frustration. And it stung that he couldn't outright say no, because it meant it would've been a lie and he never lied to her.

"There you go," she said, a quick switch in her voice so palpable. It was subdued and so unlike her that it felt like a cloud in his vision. "I'm just not comfortable being so close to you, Mi-chan, not like before. Not while I'm still trying to get you out of my system."

And before he could ask her what she meant she had already walked away.

* * *

Fuuko narrowed her eyes at the pair beside them. He had his hand on the small of her back, not high enough to be friendly, not low enough to be perverted. The moves, she knew them well, not that he ever tried them on her. Come to think of it, she was rather easy, he just needed to snog her senseless. Damn it, he didn't even need to buy her dinner. God, she really hated herself at that moment. He effortlessly knocked down the three bottles with a tennis ball and the boy manning the booth handed him a stuffed white and pink elephant which he gave to the girl and she blushed and said thank you shyly.

"Fuck, what is this, high school?" she muttered.

Yanagi followed Fuuko's line of vision without breaking the steady rhythm of inhaling her ice cream cone. "Stop torturing yourself."

"One minute he's telling me I look good naked and the next he's acting like a fucking schoolboy out to a fair with the prom queen," she said sardonically.

Yanagi immediately covered Shuichi's ears who stood between them, trying to censor the foul words coming out of Fuuko's mouth. "Fuuko, there are little children around."

She scratched behind her ears sheepishly. "Sorry." She turned to Shuichi. "You want a stuffed animal, kid?"

"Stuffed animals are for wimps," he said resolutely.

Fuuko rumpled his hair. "Damn straight." The boy grinned at the approval of his Aunt.

"I want the fire truck," he continued.

"One fire truck coming right up," Fuuko said. She called over the booth boy and gave him some bills. He gave her three tennis balls and she knocked over the bottles in one try without even bothering to look at the target. She handed the fire truck to Shuichi who accepted it rather giddily.

A familiar beat surfaced in the air and Fuuko traced it back to a small transmitter radio on a rutty wooden desk inside the booth. "Sir, mind turning that up?" she asked with a naughty glint in her eye.

Yanagi's eyes widened with recognition. She saw Fuuko start with small steady jerks of one shoulder, following the beat as if she were Jennifer Beal on tour. "No!"

"Remember this song, Yanagi? Alpha Sigma wet t-shirt contest, this was _your_ song babe," she teased as her movements became more pronounced.

"We're in public!" Yanagi squealed.

"Didn't hear you complaining before, miss tabletop dancer!" Fuuko said teasingly. She continued moving, hips swaying along to the drumbeat as she held out her hand to Yanagi in invitation as she sang along to the first lyrics that came, "Ooh my little pretty one, pretty one, when you gonna give me some time Sharona?"

It took only Yanagi a second's hesitation before she took Fuuko's hands and sang the next line shakily, "Ooh you make my motor run, my motor run. Gun it comin' off the line Sharona."

The two girls went through synchronized dance steps that they seemed to have known by heart as they sang along to a song that brought them a slew of crazy memories. "Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind. Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind. My my my i yi woo. M M M My Sharona!"

Soon even Shuichi was dancing with them, mimicking their moves and throwing in some air guitaring for good measure, not at all mindful of the fact that the other patrons were staring at them oddly as if they'd all gone mad.

Tokiya had a hidden smile on his face. He heard of the story before, Fuuko had told him complete with photographic evidence. She had somehow managed to manipulate Yanagi into joining a wet t-shirt contest hosted by the Alpha Sigma fraternity, Tokyo University chapter. 'My Sharona' was the song she requested Yanagi dance to when it was her turn on the ledge. He couldn't believe at first that sweet, innocent Yanagi had it in her, but then he discovered that Fuuko was the kind of person who could make you do things you never thought you were capable of. Because she was so brave herself, so willing to take risks that she couldn't help but rub off on the people around her. Life's too short to take precautions, she always told him. Carpe diem…for him, she was the meaning of carpe diem. And as he watched her dance in gratis and so free of inhibitions, he couldn't help but want to join her. But he was afraid she wouldn't hold his hand so he stayed where he was, yearning for her spirit from afar.

_To be continued..._

…

**END NOTES:** So there you go. I've decided that Asuka is one of those people who have no clue that they're annoying. Oh, and first person who guesses which Gen X movie inspired the last scene (not that it's that hard to guess, it's hardly hardcore) wins the soundtrack for this story (all the songs in the chapter titles…including chapter titles for the next chapters, it's all planned out). Hehe.

**NEXT CHAPTER:** The return of Ken Kosuke. Believe it or not I actually like him. Trust me, he has redeeming qualities.

**TAKE PITY ON THE SUBMIT REVIEW BUTTON BELOW AND CLICK IT! THANKS AGAIN FOR READING AND HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR RIDE IN MIA-LAND!**


	8. Angel of Harlem

**Disclaimer: **FoR is not mine. Angel of Harlem is by U2

**Author's Notes:** I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY! I promise this'll be the last time it takes me this long to update. Next chapter should come out in a week. But I'm expecting this to end in about four to five chapters. I want to thank everyone who reviewed!

**WARNING: **There is some lime at the end and some cussing and adult themes.

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! **

**Chapter Eight: Angel of Harlem**

"Either you're planning to kill me or you've come to realize your feelings for me so you're here to give me a lap dance; so which is it?" Recca asked with an amused smirk on his face, leaning against the door frame with cocky ease, one hand in his pocket and the other holding up a half eaten banana. He let his eyes travel up Fuuko's form, from her knee high patent boots, to her off white trench coat and her oversized Chanel sunglasses that ate half of her face. And even if the guy was married she was pretty sure the jerk was checking her out. She'll let it pass, she was too depressed to kick his ass.

"Where's your wife, jackass?" she returned without much power.

"Are you wearing anything underneath that?"

Fuuko backhanded the side of his head. "Get the fuck away from me you perv."

"I was just kidding!" Recca said with slightest hint of a guilty smirk while rubbing the rapidly forming bump on his scalp.

Yanagi came out from what Fuuko assumed was the kitchen looking every inch like a Stepford wife, white heels, periwinkle blue summer dress and hair tied up in a ponytail with a virgin white ribbon. The baking pan held up by two gloved hands completed the look. "Who was at the door Recca?"

"Just me," Fuuko replied.

Yanagi smiled at her friend. "You're looking sharp. Going anywhere?"

Fuuko toyed with the cocktail ring on her index finger as she tried to speak as casual as possible, hoping not to belie the inner battle she was having with her emotions. "No, no plans. I was actually hoping you guys have something to do around here, maybe I could hang out…or something. Mom's attending a rotary club meeting and Ganko's at some cooking seminar and you know, I didn't have much to do and I really didn't want to stay at home and…" she blubbered, wanting to kick herself for sounding like such a ditz.

"What about Mikagami?" Recca asked offhandedly as he walked towards the kitchen, disappearing behind the swinging door.

Fuuko's head dipped a little lower and only Yanagi noticed. "He's, um, out with a friend."

"Oh yeah, with that Asuka chick; Mikagami mentioned it the other day, was planning on inviting him to a baseball game and turns out he already had plans," Fuuko heard Recca's voice swimming from behind the synthetic wood of the kitchen door. "Can't blame him though, why'd he want to hang out with a bunch of dudes when he can get some action. He tells me she's pretty."

Fuuko didn't say anything and though she knew Recca had no idea what her and Tokiya's situation was, she couldn't help but hate her childhood friend just a bit.

_So he thinks she's pretty_…Fuuko wanted nothing more than to breakdown and cry. But she wouldn't do that, she was stronger than that. But Kami, her brain just wouldn't let up. Does he want to sleep with her? Is he planning on staying the night at her place? Is he going to kiss her good night under the stars, in public, like he loved to do with her?

She felt a small hand on her should and she looked up to Yanagi's sweet, understanding smile. Still looking at her friend Yanagi yelled to her husband, "Honey, Fuuko and I are going out."

Recca emerged from the kitchen, a bottle of pilsen in one hand and a sandwich on the other. "But we have plans, honey."

"Oh stop being so clingy, we see each other every day and my best friend is only going to be here for a couple of weeks," Yanagi said jokingly, swatting her husband's arm.

"I really don't want to intrude," Fuuko said meekly.

"You're not intruding. Right, Recca?" the former healer looked at her ninja pointedly.

Recca gave them a shrug and a genuine smile, he didn't know exactly what it was but he had a feeling Fuuko needed her best friend more than he needed to fuck his wife right now. "No problem, I'll just hang out with Domon."

Yanagi nodded enthusiastically. "Then it's settled, time for Yanagi and Fuuko's day of fun!"

Fuuko looked at her suspiciously. "Please don't do that. It's weird."

"Oh shut up," she answered and stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

…

Yanagi parked the car in front of an old and dilapidated house. Fuuko had to admit that the colonial architectural design would've been amazing if only the owners took better care of it. As it was, there were missing shingles on the roof, the paint was stripped off leaving the dour, gray color of cement walls, the iron railings were rusty, untrimmed ivies threatened to eat the place and the windows were patched up with old cardboard boxes.

"We're here!" Yanagi announced happily.

"Where exactly is here?" Fuuko asked

"This is where I volunteer every Sunday," she answered cheerily as she stepped out of the car. Fuuko followed suit in a sluggish manner.

"Do you volunteer to exterminate ghosts every Sunday?" she said in a surly manner.

"No, silly. This is an orphanage, they house children they found on the streets until they find good homes for them," she explained.

Fuuko stopped dead in her tracks. "They house kids in this place?" She couldn't very well imagine cats living in this place; it looks about ready to implode any second. It couldn't be very safe to have children living here.

Yanagi just sighed, as if expecting her reaction. "It's run by an NGO, there's not much government funding and so there's no money. Whatever little help they get from the community goes to food and clothing. It's not that bad, it's better than having the children run around the streets as ready prey for gangs and drug pushers." Without another word she trudged towards the rickety front steps of the porch and disappeared inside. Fuuko followed shortly.

"Hey Maina-chan," she heard Yanagi greet a short, plump woman whose about thirty. She was wearing a plain white shirt and jeans. Fuuko couldn't help but feel out of place with her own clothes.

"Yanagi-chan, lovely seeing you, we missed you last week. How was the honeymoon?" Maina answered, her voice sweet and mousy.

"Phuket was lovely," Yanagi answered as they kissed each other on the cheek in greeting.

"You know that's not what I'm asking. Details, missy!" Maina said, a naughty glint in her eye. Fuuko sniggered as Yanagi just blushed to her feet.

"By the way, Maina, this is my friend Fuuko, she's here on vacation. She's here to help us out for the day. This is Maina, she's Little Angels' director," Yanagi introduced.

Fuuko stepped up and held out her hand expecting a handshake but Maina pulled her arm and embraced her in a hug. She couldn't help but grin at the affectionate welcome.

"Little Angels is happy to have you," the shorter woman said as she relinquished the tight hold she had on Fuuko.

"Thanks," Fuuko said softly, not exactly sure how to react. "So, what do I do?"

"Well, breakfast is almost over, you want to read to the smaller kids? That's the easiest, -don't want to scare you away by having you handle the 10-13 age group," Maina said with a tinge of humor.

Fuuko gave out a boisterous laugh. "That sounds good."

…

Fuuko plopped down at one of the ratty couches at the receiving area shortly after lunch. She was now second guessing saying no to Yanagi's offer to change into one of the volunteer T-shirts. There was a huge spaghetti stain, courtesy of little Nina who accidentally elbowed her bowl off the table straight into Fuuko's lap, on one side of her Prada skirt, and she doubted it would ever come out. And though she felt upset about having to throw away one of her favorite skirts she couldn't find it in herself to feel regret. She had not done anything worthwhile in a long time. And she would trade any party she'd ever been to, any celebrity meeting she'd ever had for the vision of a smile full of love on Nina's face when Fuuko said that she wasn't angry and she wasn't going to punish her. Nina looked at Fuuko as if she was a hero in that moment, apparently she was rescued from an abusive home, her mother was a junkie and her father beat her and her two brothers at the slightest mistake ever since they were toddlers. Fuuko couldn't help as her eyes misted over, remembering Nina's small arms holding her tightly and begging forgiveness, as if she was afraid Fuuko would lash out at her because of what happened.

"Hey you, the kids are taking a nap and the other got a handle on the older ones. You want to have a coffee with and a smoke outside?" Fuuko looked up to see Maina leaning against the doorframe holding up two cups of java.

Fuuko nodded thankfully. "Didn't know you smoked."

"Well, not everyone here is as angelic as Miss Yanagi," Maina said good-naturedly.

Fuuko laughed as she followed orphanage's director outside. They sat on a couple of wicker chairs as Maina placed one cup of coffee in front of Fuuko on the rotting wooden table between them. Fuuko took out a half empty pack of Capris and offered one to Maina.

"Thanks," Maina said as she lit up.

"No problem," Fuuko answered in between puffs.

They sat quietly as they watched some of the older kids play tag on the front lawn.

"You sure it's okay to smoke like this in front of the kids? Aren't they going to tag you as some sort of bad influence?" Fuuko asked with some concern.

"Oh please, as if anyone actually wants to take my job," Maina said with a smile though there was a trace of truth in her words.

"Why can't you get funding for the place?" Fuuko asked.

Maina sighed deeply. "As much as I hate to admit it, PR isn't exactly one of my best suits. I don't have a lot of connections. I do what I can and just pray it would be enough."

Fuuko took a minute before speaking up. "I hope you don't think me presumptuous or that I'm insulting the work you've done here but I think I can offer some help. I don't know if Yanagi mentioned it but I specialize in events, I can help you out with advertising the place and getting the community involved."

Maina looked at her with something akin to wonder. "You would do that?"

Fuuko smiled shyly. "I know I won't be able to be here everyday, I live in Tokyo for one and I do have quite a schedule but I don't want to leave this place and never look back."

The director reached over and squeezed her hand. "Yanagi was right; you do have a big heart."

The former fuujin wielder could only blush. "Consider it my thank you, you have no idea how much you did for me today."

…

Tokiya followed a step behind Asuka as he walked her to her apartment door. They spent the day together, visiting bookshops, having brunch, lunch and dinner together and a late night movie, and he honestly did enjoy her company. She was a smart and vibrant woman who shared all his interests and he had to admit he was attracted to her, she was after all beautiful. But he couldn't bring himself to get excited over the idea of a good night kiss…or even a good night fuck. He knew women and Asuka was no different. He knew she wanted him and he was certain that it would take little encouragement to have her take him to her bed.

"You want to come inside," Asuka asked with a sly smile as she fiddled with her keys. Tokiya knew what she wanted, and he was sorely tempted but it just felt so wrong.

"It's a bit late," Tokiya said, hoping she would take the hint.

He didn't miss the disappointment in her face. "Oh."

Tokiya somehow felt guilty brushing her off like that, he knew she wasn't the type to be so forward so he leaned forward, pressing his palm on her door right next to her head and said, "I had a really good time," before he placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

Asuka pressed up against him immediately and wrapped her arms around his neck. He knew this was coming and he should be very happy about it, after all, he liked her, didn't he? She was supposed to be his type of girl, smart, sophisticated, beauty queen looks…then why did it feel as if he was cheating her…

"I'm sorry," Tokiya said when he pulled himself away.

"It's alright," she said as she traced his jaw line with her index finger, misinterpreting his apology.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, trying to get her to see.

"It's okay, I wanted it too," she said with a seductive smile.

Man, he was going to feel like such an asshole. "But I really didn't. I didn't mean to lead you on, Asuka, but I don't want this with you."

Her face fell but there was a dawning of understanding. "But you want it with someone else?"

Tokiya didn't answer. "I'm really sorry; I wish we can be friends." He walked away before she could say anything else.

…

It was already past twelve when Tokiya got back to the Kirisawa residence. It was a good thing Mama Kirisawa lent him her keys; he didn't really want to bother anyone. As soon as he got to his room he removed his jeans and shirt and changed into an old shirt and flannel sweats. As he lay down, watching the watermark pattern on the worn ceilings, he realized he couldn't sleep. Something was missing and it was in the room next to him. Without second thought he stood up and made his way to Fuuko's room.

She was sleeping with her back facing him, blanket pulled up to her chest. It didn't take long for him to figure out that she was sleeping in just her panties and he felt his blood jump. God, he missed her so much. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped underneath the blanket next to her. He familiarly slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her naked back against his form and he couldn't help but moan at the contact.

Tokiya rested his head on the nook of her neck and shoulders and inhaled deeply. It hadn't been days and he already missed her so much. He was addicted to her; he can admit that to himself now. He didn't know what was going to happen or where they were going, he only knew he was going to do his damnedest to keep her by his side.

His hand traced circular patterns on her tight stomach before trailing up to cup a breast. He squeezed it lightly and she moaned but didn't stir, she always had been a heavy sleeper. Tokiya placed open mouthed kisses on her shoulder, letting his tongue trail out to lick the sweat off her skin as he flicked her now hardened nipples. His other hand was on its way to entangle itself in the trimmed curls that hid her jewel before he stopped himself, just realizing what he was doing. He was molesting her in her sleep.

"Shit, I'm going to hell," he whispered to himself. But even then he couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty. Having Fuuko beside him was his only heaven.

"Oi monkey, what have you done to me?" he said with a smile against her skin before placing his hands on neutral ground once more and falling asleep wrapped in her warmth and sweet scent.

**End Notes:** So Mi-chan is coming around. Next chapter, the promised appearance of Ken and of course, the morning after...

**THANKS FOR READING AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! **


	9. Hold Me Now

Disclaimer: FoR is not mine. It's not your either. Hold Me Now is by the Thompson Twins

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I'm actually really proud of this chapter. I just really liked how it turned out. This story is coming to a close. I wasn't too happy with it before but I really think I'm going to miss it. Also, Mi-chan is effing sexay.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW!

Hold Me Now

Hold My Heart

Stay With Me

Let the loving start

--The Thompson Twins

Chapter Nine: Hold Me Now

There was familiar yet unexpected warmth around her, she thought, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through her lashes. She was cocooned in an overwhelming heat that promised to scorch her but only succeeds in assuring her that she was not alone, and she knew of only one person who could bring about such feelings. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and stared at the silken arm wrapped around her waist in confusion. Did she just dream up "breaking up" with Tokiya?

The said source of the confusion moved behind her, the flex of his muscles against her bare back giving her an involuntary shiver. No matter how much she tried to deny it to herself, she missed this.

"Morning, baby," he muttered sleepily, his breath ghosting against her nape before placing a gentle kiss against the sensitized skin.

Fuuko was stock still as she carefully enunciated her greeting, "Mi-chan, what's going on?"

He chuckled as if she'd just asked the most inane of questions as he moved a hand to cup his 'comfy' spot on her body. "I'm greeting you good morning; don't tell me you've forgotten all about it. Do you need a reminder?" And without waiting for her consent he slipped his knee between her slightly parted legs and slowly moved up.

Fuuko panicked and jolted out of his hold, hitting her elbow against the wall in the process. "Ow, fuck!"

She risked a glanced at him and found her roommate smirking at her in the way he knew made her knees melt. Sleepy eyes gazed intensely at her, his hair was tousled and loosened from its usual ponytail, bluish-silver strands spilling over his shoulders, a few wisps tracing his ripped chest, leading her eyes towards the tight muscles of his abs. Her blanket teasingly ended low on his hips and she could swear his pectorals were trying to seduce her. Dear God this man was made of sin.

"We're a little jumpy this morning," he observed.

"You'd be jumpy too if I just suddenly showed up naked in your bed!" She lifted the blanket up to her chin, all too aware of the fact that she wore nothing underneath it.

"I wouldn't be jumpy; I'd just try to jump you."

Okay, so she walked into that one.

"Seriously, Mi-chan, what the fuck is going on? Last I heard we were not doing this anymore," she asked, glad that she had it in her to sound miffed.

Tokiya sighed and propped himself up on his elbow, looking intently at her. "Look, if you're still under this delusion that I'm planning on pursuing Asuka then let me tell you now that I don't see her that way and I made that very clear with her last night."

Fuuko shot up to a sitting position, her mouth forming a disbelieving O as she secured the blanket under her armpits to cover herself. "Oh, so you figured you'd just come to my bed and grope me while I go 'yay sex!' What do you take me for?" she fired back, getting more and more incensed by the second.

"I don't take you for anything! I just figured we'd go back to normal!" he shot back rising from the bed as well.

Fuuko massaged her temples with her thumb and index finger as she tried to calm herself. "You just don't get it, do you? I didn't end us because of Asuka or whatever trollop you wish to fancy yourself with!"

"Then why?!" he quickly followed, not bothering to mask the neediness in his voice.

'Because I'm in love with you and you're just in it for the sex,' she wanted to say out loud but in matters of the heart, she'd never been that courageous. If she heard him say, in his deep, soothing voice, that he didn't love her back, she just might break.

In her silence he managed to sneak up to her, arm snaking around her waist, one leg supporting her back and another crossing her lap. He placed his hand under her chin and made her face him then settled his forehead against hers in an intimate manner.

"Please tell me what's wrong, so I can fix it," he whispered, the sincerity in his blue orbs made her want to fall into his arms and just tell her future to screw itself.

"I need time to be alone, Mi-chan, really alone," she whispered. She knew she should've just said she was tired of him, make a clean break and end it right there but she still wasn't strong enough to utter anything so final.

He breathed a sigh of relief and placed a soft kiss on her lips, something that came so naturally that neither of them even noticed it happen. "If that's what you need baby, I'll leave you alone. Just know that I still want you." _I'll always want you._

…

Though she had her hands full taking care of the Seta account, her actual paying project, and her own pet project for the Little Angels halfway house, she still somehow found it in her busy schedule to miss Tokiya. It wasn't a conscious effort, Kami knows she'd give anything to banish him from her thoughts and not have that dull ache in her heart that told her she couldn't quite get over him. Even as she calculated budget proposals, and she never was very good in Maths so you'd think large numbers would have the ability to encompass the entirety of her mind, her stubborn brain still reminisced back to afternoons in her Mi-chan's arms as he helped her with the financial aspects of her job. She especially missed nights when she would come home from another late night business dinner to a half-naked and very hot (not to mention horny) accountant sitting on the couch, ready to take her mind away from her strenuous work with a little kiss and homemade rice balls. She wondered if during times like those, if he noticed that she imagined them to be a real couple, girlfriend and boyfriend, husband and wife, and not two friends who have sex on the side.

Fuuko shook her head as she tried to clear her thoughts, attempting to remember where she was and who she was meeting. She switched the song on her iPod to something more upbeat instead of some sappy eighties ballad.

When she dropped by Little Angels on Tuesday she stumbled upon some of the older kids jamming in the music room. She couldn't believe her ears, they were seriously talented. Maina later on told her that musical instruments, aside from books, were a cheaper alternative for entertainment and the kids immediately took a liking to it. The director, who was a rock music fanatic, influenced the children and Fuuko was treated to a Beatles medley with some Led Zeppelin, The Who and even AC/DC songs peppering their set. That was when she was struck with the brilliant plan of a benefit concert, the perfect way to both showcase the children's talents and to raise enough money to afford better living conditions.

It was a great idea, if she might say so herself, but she knew a way to make it even better. The concert should attract some of the more prominent philanthropists and perhaps a few good Samaritans but then why not try to get the entire town's attention, perhaps even people outside of? All she needed was a popular name to attach to her project to herald their cause further, and she knew of a popular name that happened to owe her a couple of favors.

And that's how Fuuko found herself sitting outside a local Starbucks, sipping a cup of hot Caramel Macchiato awaiting her already fifteen minutes late ex-boyfriend by the name of Ken Kosode.

She glanced at her watch, make that twenty minutes late. She knew she should've arrived at least half an hour late; the man was perpetually tardy, just one of the many reasons why they broke up.

She reached for another stick of Capri in her purse and lit up, deciding to pass time with a cancer stick. The orange flame had reached the filter by the time a groggy Ken unceremoniously slouched on the chair in front of her.

"How's your one o' clock?" she said sardonically.

"I had a late night," he said unapologetically.

"Should've expected that," she bit out. Why the hell did she ask him to meet her here? Oh yeah, she needed something.

"So where's that shadow you call a roommate?" he said with an antagonistic smirk.

"Tokiya's busy," she said, ignoring his jibe.

"Good, that fucking self-righteous ass would know better than to show his face here, I would've pummeled him to the ground."

Fuuko sighed exasperatedly. "Look, Tokiya is one of my best friends and he's just looking out for me. How many times do we have to talk about this?"

His nostrils flared. "See, that's why we could never work things out. You always take his side."

She gripped her coffee cup tighter, releasing some tension in her arms. "Can we not? I didn't ask to meet you here so we can relive our sordid affairs. We've done enough of that in the last decade."

Ken had the decency to look sheepish. "Okay, sorry, you know he'd always be a sore spot for me. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's in love with you or something, the way he carries on around me."

Fuuko tried to hide her gulp. "Well, you don't know any better."

They both allowed a silence to pass between them, as if to diffuse the sudden tension that always came up whenever the ex-lovers talked about Tokiya. After Fuuko took another tentative sip of her coffee, Ken decided to speak up. "So, this benefit thing you're holding, why should I do it?"

"Out of the kindness of your heart?" she said hopefully.

"Seriously, what's in it for me?"

"You don't actually think you're getting paid? It's called charity for a reason," she said sarcastically.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. Just asking," he said, giving her that naughty, boyish grin that reminded her why she said yes the first time he asked her out.

She rolled her eyes, when they got past the Tokiya issue, the two of them did manage to have a healthy conversation. "It's good publicity, Ken, which you haven't had in a while. And, I don't know, think of it as pay off to save yourself from eternal damnation."

He shrugged. "I'll talk to the guys."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know that's as good as a yes."

"Of course, you're the shit," she teased him.

He chuckled and reached across the table to take a pinch of her chocolate chip cookie, and that's when she spotted it, the little gold band around his ring finger.

"What's that?" Fuuko asked, unable to explain the small pang in her heart.

Ken knew immediately what she was referring to and gave a nervous laugh. "Um, yeah, didn't I tell you I got married?"

She gave him a resounding no.

"It's just a civil wedding, still hush hush. We're planning to have the church one after the baby's born and then we'll go public," he explained.

Fuuko felt like her head was about to burst with information overload. "Baby?" she replied stupidly.

He sighed guiltily. "It's not like I was trying to hide it from you. It just didn't occur to me to tell you."

Fuuko would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't jealous. It wasn't that she was still in love with him, it's just that, why couldn't it be her? "What's her name?" she asked, trying not to betray the jealousy in her tone.

"Yuka, she's my high school sweetheart. You should meet her, you'd really like her," he said although they both knew he had no plans of introducing his present wife to his past love.

"Yeah," she breathed shallowly, trying to swallow the sob lodged in her throat.

Ken reached over and took her hand in his. "Fuuks, we both know we couldn't have made it."

"I know that Ken; it's just that I wanted that life, how come you're the one who got it?" she said impetuously.

"If it makes you feel any better, I knocked her up and her ex-military father threatened me with castration if I didn't marry her," he joked.

She managed to laugh at that. "But you love her?"

"I do, I really do," he said sincerely.

"Then I'm happy for you."

Ken brought her hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on it. "You'll be happy yet, Fuuko, if anyone deserves it, you do."

…

Tokiya just stared at Ganko and Mrs. Kirisawa as they animatedly discussed the Christmas trinkets currently on sale at the local mall. They'd just finished a sumptuous lunch courtesy of the restaurant where Ganko worked and the mother and daughter immediately forgot about him when the blonde girl brought up this year's plans for Christmas decors for their house. Which was just fine for him, he wasn't really in the mood for the season to be jolly.

Five days, five whole days since the last time he held her in his arms and it was killing him. He promised to leave her alone and every minute that they pretended to be platonic felt like a slow death for him. He could remember a time when he was actually second guessing starting this thing with Fuuko, perhaps he should've ended it that night four years ago, called it a simple one time mistake and stood his ground, then perhaps it wouldn't have grown to this…thing. This thing that craved for her every minute of every day.

He wished it was just sex, just a need to release, but he knew better. If it were then he could've easily lured some simpering pretty girl, they were always around him anyway. But he needed her. He'd had his share of women in his bed, but none of them quite filled it the way Fuuko did. He remembered the first time he woke up with her in his arms and he could only sense this strange feeling of comfort, something he never felt with anyone else. Perhaps it was their deep friendship, the fact that they knew each other so well that he didn't feel a need to keep up any pretense the morning after or perhaps something deeper, something he couldn't quite recognize yet. She'd ensnared his senses at that moment though he hadn't noticed it yet. If he were to be honest with himself, the reason he hadn't been dating for almost a year was that he was always just waiting for her to come around and break up with that week's bloke so she could come back to him.

'_Please come back to me, Fuuko,'_ he pleaded in his heart of hearts.

"What was that Tokiya nii-san?" Ganko asked, breaking into his consciousness. He hadn't realized he said that out loud.

"I was just saying that I wanted to go for a little fresh air. Would you mind terribly Kirisawa-sama if I went ahead of you?" he said, covering his tracks.

"No problem, darling, go on ahead. You don't need to baby sit me, Kami knows you must be sick of my company," she chided.

"You know that's not true," he said, smiling at her tenderly, he couldn't help but have a soft spot for Fuuko's mother since they were so much alike.

Tokiya bid his farewell to the two women and headed out the restaurant. He decided to take the long way home, fancying a walk to keep his mind off things. Maybe he could call up Domon, who'd become his vacation buddy for the past few days. Granted Domon's idea of a vacation was getting thrown out of strip bars. Maybe today he'd convince the big guy to go to a museum…okay, that was a stupid thought.

He turned the corner and his eyes immediately caught sight of the familiar green canopy of Starbucks. He was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to get a cup of cappuccino, but then he looked to the left and he felt his chest plummet down to his stomach.

There she was, looking tenderly into the eyes of a man he'd despised the moment she introduced the two of them more than six years ago as she fawned over his tattoos and his music. His exact opposite, his rival for her attentions. And without another word he hightailed it out of there.

…

Tokiya didn't understand it. She said she wanted to be alone. Then why the hell was she having coffee with that degenerate. If she wanted to be with him then why couldn't he just tell him straight out?

"Oh, you're still awake?"

The object of his confusion appeared in the kitchen wearing footie pajamas and an old tank top. She looked so lovely in his eyes.

"Couldn't sleep," he said.

"I'm just gonna get a glass of milk then I'll be out of your way," she said casually as she walked towards the refrigerator.

"Don't you want to stay a bit? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever," he said steadily.

She only smiled at him as she reached for a glass and laid it on the counter, studiously pouring milk in it. "I've been busy, I told you about that benefit concert I've been planning for the orphanage."

He stood up slowly and walked beside her. "You've been avoiding me."

"You're delusional," she said with a shaky laugh.

"Am I?"

"What do you want from me, Tokiya?" she asked as she placed the milk on the tabletop.

"You," he said without pause.

"Mi-chan, I told you--"

"I know what you told me, but I can't help it." He reached for her hand then, willing her to look at him.

"If you just want a fu--" she began to say but he cut her off again.

"You know it's not about that, it hasn't been for a long while," he said lowly, cupping her chin and lifting up her face so he can look at her eyes once more.

She gave an impatient whimper that cut through his soul. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can't help what I feel." Without waiting for a protest he brought his lips against hers and kissed her savagely, coaxing her to join him in the confusion in his head.

"We can't do this," she said as she broke away from him, the words meant for her as much as for him.

"I feel like I'm starting to lose you, please, Fuuko, just please let me hold you," he said, the desperation in his voice so palpable that it touched the hair on her arms, making it rise as if yearning to reach for him.

He kissed her again as he felt her defenses fall. He no longer cared if she was starting something again with Ken, he wanted to steal her way and keep her for himself the only way he knew how.

He took her hand in his and led her up the stairs to her room and she followed almost dazed. They undressed each other without words, placing tender kisses on each skin revealed as if trying to rekindle the connection that was slowly extinguishing away. No dirty words were spoken, no rough pounding or forceful fingers. It was slow and tender as he savored every thrust within her, committed to memory every subdued moan that came out of her mouth.

He watched as her pupils dilated and rolled to back of her lids as he felt her near completion. As he kissed her, he whispered against her lips the last words shared between them that night, "It's alright baby, I'm right here, come for me."

That night, he held her sleeping form, her face cradled against his chest, as he traced slow eights against the smooth skin of her back. His heart beat faster than usual and he struggled to catch his breath, never quite getting back to normal even as seconds turned to minutes turned to hours; for the first time in his life, he'd made love.

To be continued...

End Notes: I hope you enjoyed that chapter.

THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW (Give the submit review button some lovin')


	10. Take On Me

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine. Take On Me is by A-ha.

**Author's Notes: **I'm so sorry about the delay, although I promise to update more regularly (at least once a week) since I really want to see the end of this story. I'm looking forward to the next one I've been working on. Anyway, this chapter is very sweet, I even kind of choked on it but I like it. Because I'm going to shift to angst gear in about two chapters. So yeah. And thanks so much for all those who reviewed! And someone said they thought Mi-chan saying 'baby' was OOC and I have to say, it may be kind of is, but the thing is, that's my favourite term of endearment. It's simple, I know, but I love being called baby. So it was natural for me to write it in, I think it's sweet. And I think he's the type of guy who'd be sweet when he's alone with his girl. Anyway, enjoy!

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Ten: Take On Me**

He awoke to the smell of burnt eggs, something that hadn't happened since the first week of Fuuko's stay in his apartment and she attempted to make breakfast, and ever since he had permanently banned her from the kitchens after they almost got thrown out of their dwellings. So she couldn't possibly be trying again? Right? But then his arm tried to reach out for her and while he still smelled her scent on the pillows and felt her warmth radiate from the sheets there was no body to hold on to. Tokiya cursed, the monkey is trying to cook again. Had she not learned the last time?

Tokiya jumped out of bed not bothering to find his shirt and rushed to the kitchen, hoping to salvage what's left of it for Mrs. Kirisawa's sake. What greeted him was Fuuko's vision, her back to him, blurred in a thin fog of smoke, wearing only his blue button down polo and a pair of shorts, trying to scrape off the burnt layers of a toast with a butter knife.

"Would you mind telling me why you're trying to burn down your mother's house?" Tokiya quipped, an amused smirk on his face.

Fuuko twisted her head towards him and pouted cutely. "I was trying to make you breakfast, baka."

He couldn't help but feel giddy at her sentiment and walked over to where she stood over the counter and wrapped both arms around her waist, placing a soft kiss on her exposed shoulder, his too big polo hanging over it. "I would've liked it more if I woke up next to you," he breathed in her ear.

She shuddered at his touch and shaking hands dropped the toast and butter knife. She meant to say something but Tokiya was doing distracting things with his hands.

"It's going to be different this time, Fuuko, I want us to be together, really together," he promised when he paused from his attack on her nape.

And even though he couldn't see her face he knew she was smiling, the muscles on her neck relaxing under his lips, he felt like he was in high school again after getting the girl of his dreams to agree to go to Prom with him.

She turned around to face him and slinked her arms around his neck, bringing their foreheads together. "I want that too."

Tokiya just smiled his cheeks hurting from intensity of it. He felt like a piñata filled with candy and he was afraid he was going to burst, he had no idea he could be this happy.

"It's still so weird to see you smiling," she said with a giggle that made him hug her tighter.

"I can't help it, I'm happy. You make me happy," he said without hesitation, punctuating his words with a lingering kiss on her lips.

She nuzzled his chin. "You can be so sweet when you want to."

"Don't tell anyone," he mock whispered.

"Like anyone would believe me," she said with a roll of her eyes.

He laughed at that, not that it was particularly funny, but just because he felt like laughing because if he didn't he was just going to burst. She was his, all his. He just can't get over it.

But then, a picture in his mind came unbidden, of her innocently sipping coffee across a man who he knew for so long held her heart.

"I mean it though, Fuuko, I want us together…no one else. No Ken," he said with meaning.

She raised an eyebrow at him, her face crumpling curiously. "And how did he get dragged into this conversation?"

Tokiya sighed and released his hold on her waist and settled it lightly on her hips. "I saw you with him yesterday. I just know you're starting something with him again and--" but he couldn't continue when he was interrupted by her mocking snickers.

He scowled at her. "I fail to see the humor in this situation."

Fuuko pursed her lips together in an attempt to stop herself from guffawing, not that it worked. "Look, Mi-chan, Ken and I are not starting anything. We had a business meeting; I needed a favor from him, alright? I've been over him for centuries. And besides the guy is married with a baby on the way, it was nothing like that."

Tokiya just stared at her in absolute stupefaction. "Alright, now I feel stupid."

He expected another outburst from Fuuko but nothing came. She seemed to have lost the earlier light in her eyes, her face downcast, she spoke in a small voice, "Tokiya, if this just happened due to some Neanderthal male ego instinct or the fact that you've always hated Ken, then I want no part of it."

What the--? "Fuck, no!" The woman in front of him started at his explosive statement but there was still doubt in her eyes, doubt that he would make sure to erase. "It may have been a catalyst, something to make me move off my ass and finally do something, but rest assured that I want to be with you, Ken or no Ken."

She sighed and said, "Just be sure, because Tokiya, you can hurt me."

"And I won't. It's true, what happened last night, seeing you with Ken started it all. But it was only because I was jealous. Is it so wrong that I was jealous?" he asked, bringing her face up so he could look into her eyes and show the sincerity in his heart.

There was a small quirk on her lips that made his heart skip a beat. "No, there's nothing wrong with that."

He nodded at her smugly, as if she'd just gotten a math lesson he'd been trying to teach her for hours. "Of course, jealousy's a boyfriend's prerogative."

Now she gave him a full smile, her full lips thinning out as if inviting him for a kiss. "Boyfriend? We haven't even gone out on one date."

He shrugged, wrapping his arms around her again. "I figured four years of sex would be equal to about one year of dating," he said scholarly.

"Ever the Math genius," she chided.

"Of course," he replied, "and lest I forget, I'm taking you out today, for our first official date."

"Are you going to pay?"

"When have you ever shelved out cash when we're out together?" he deadpanned.

"I have such a great boyfriend," she chided sweetly before rewarding him with another kiss that he eagerly reciprocated. Things were just getting good when their ever heightened senses (comes with years of battling for your life) heard the jingle of keys coming from the back door. They quickly broke apart.

"That must be your mother," he said none too happily.

"Yes, so you better sneak upstairs and put some clothes on, I mean, I don't think she likes you _that_ much," she said with a snicker.

Stealing a chaste kiss, he bounded outside the kitchen doors and rushed upstairs. Two minutes later, Mrs. Kirisawa, sweaty and skin steaming from the scent of the morning sun came barging in, up to her chin in grocery bags.

"Someone went shopping," Fuuko said as she resumed scraping off burnt toast

The elder Kirisawa huffed and grunted as she laid down the bags on the kitchen counter and took a very deep breath before answering. "I'm cooking a huge dinner tonight; your brother's coming over, and said he's bringing some friends. I thought once he'd gotten married I'd get rid of that pest for good."

Fuuko chuckled at her mother's odd sense of humor. "Oh come on, Mama, he just misses you that's why he's always over."

Her mother wiped the sweat off her forehead dramatically. "If he truly misses me he'll come early in the morning and char broil all this beef!"

The younger girl snorted and rolled her eyes at her mother's theatrics before saying, "Well, you'll be cooking for two less tonight. Mi-chan and I are going out."

Kagome quirked an eyebrow and Fuuko tried to act nonchalant under her mother's scrutinizing gaze. "A date?"

"No," she answered nervously, "Mi-chan and I always go out, you know, we do live together, Mother. We're friends, and friends go out to hang out and bond and stuff and…"

"You're wearing his shirt," Mrs. Kirisawa interrupted completely ignoring her daughter's babble.

Fuuko looked down at her outfit and suppressed a cuss from coming out. She tried to shrug coolly and ended up looking like she had a slight case of tic. "I'm always borrowing his shirts."

Mrs. Kirisawa acted like she didn't even hear the reply as she continued to unload groceries from the nondescript brown paper bag so Fuuko was completely taken off guard by the words that came out of her mother's mouth. "Honey, I wasn't born yesterday. You're thirty years old; you don't honestly think I still believe you're a virgin?"

Fuuko dropped the butter knife, her face the perfect impression of a tomato. "Mom!"

"Don't worry, I'm not mad, it's not like your Father and I waited until marriage before doing the horizontal mambo," her mother said with a squeaky clean pitch.

Fuuko screeched like a five year old and clamped her hands over her ears. "I seriously did not need to know that!"

Her mother laughed evilly at the sound of her daughter's traumatized yells. It was sadistically funny, but her kid'll get over it. She hoped. "Seriously though, Fuuko, I know what you and Tokiya…do. As much as I want to wring his neck, you're a big girl now and what you do with your life is your own decision. That and at the end of the day, I know that he cares for you and as odd as it may sound, he treats you right, more so than any other 'official' boyfriend I've met. And that's important to a mother."

Fuuko couldn't help the nostalgic smile tugging at her lips. Her mother was a harsh critic when it came to the men that she chose in her life and it felt good to hear her approve of her Mi-chan. "Yeah," was the only thing she could say.

And then her mother dropped the bomb. "Although I would appreciate it if you never have sex under my roof. It's disturbing peaceful flow of chi." And then she pranced happily around the kitchen carrying a rosary of garlic.

* * *

After a quick morning shower, Fuuko changed into a pair of her favorite white shorts and a long-sleeved scoop neck blue shirt. She proceeded barefoot to Tokiya's door, knocked lightly before turning the knob peeking in with mock bashfulness. 

"Hello, lover," she said seductively but couldn't stop the blush forming on her cheeks. It was ironic, really, how she was suddenly feeling shy around him after everything that happened between them.

But he didn't seem to be sharing her sudden bout of introversion as he sat there with a book in his hand (something by Ian McEwan from what she could see) in loose blue jeans and no shirt, his back propped up on two pillows, causing his jeans to ride low on his hips giving her a peep show of his red boxers. He looked up at her with that indelible smirk on his face and made a come hither signal with his index finger.

Fuuko entered the room and closed the door carefully. She sat on the side of his bed a foot away from him but she didn't stay like that for long. He placed his book on his side table before pulling her in his lap.

"Excited for our date tonight?" he asked before dipping his head and nuzzling her neck.

"Very. Although would you mind telling me what our plans are? I want to be dressed appropriately," she said, angling her head to give him more access to her neck.

"Doesn't really matter, as long as it's something you wouldn't mind getting ripped off when the night's over," he whispered seductively as he took an earlobe hostage between his teeth.

She swatted his arm playfully. "Hentai!"

"Just for you baby," he replied unapologetically, nipping the skin just below her ear.

She pulled away with a groan and made him face her. "Seriously though, what should I wear?"

He sighed dramatically. "I don't know; jeans and a shirt. Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't really had the time to put together a magical evening. All I have is dinner and a movie."

She gave out a mock gasp of surprise. "How did you know? I love dinners! And movies!"

"You wound me."

She gave out a hearty laugh. "I'm kidding, dinner and a movie is fantastic, you know how much I hate overly excessive dates, it's a first date, it's not like you're going to propose."

He snickered. "Yeah, right."

Fuuko tried to ignore the pang in her heart at the callousness of his reply, but she pushed it down. Even with their history, theirs was a fresh relationship and there's no point spinning drama this early on. She wanted to enjoy the feeling of being Tokiya's girlfriend. Man that still sounds so weird, even in her head.

"Anyway, since we're not leaving for a couple of hours, I was planning on dropping by Little Angels and tell them of the plans. Want to come with?" she asked.

"No problem, I've been curious about what's been keeping you busy this past week," he said with a genuine smile.

"Yay!" she said, clapping her hands together like an eight year old, "I can't wait to show you off to everyone."

"I resent that. I am no one's show horse," he pouted.

She kissed his pout away before climbing of his lap as she spoke, "Whatever, Mi-chan. Now get off your hide and make sure to wear pants that accentuate your ass."

"I will not be treated like a piece of meat," he said, crossing his arms childishly.

"You know you look really hot when you're scowling like that," she said with a cock of her head before blowing him a raspberry. She escaped through the door just as he threw his pillow at her.

* * *

"Well, seems like they really need some help." 

"Yeah, the place looks like a dump yadda, yadda, yadda. We've all gotten over it, now let's go," Fuuko said as she grabbed Tokiya's hand and led him through the rusty gates of Little Angels. Tokiya did nothing but follow her lead, his eyes still taking in the absolute dreariness of the place. It was actually depressing him.

"You know, I'm really proud of you Fuuko, you don't need to do this but you're stepping up for them," he said to her while they waited for someone to answer the door.

Fuuko looked up at him through her lashes and bit her lower lip demurely. "Really?"

"Yes, really, I'm proud of you love," he said sincerely before pulling her close and kissing her temple.

Just that moment the front door opened, revealing a wheezing and sweaty Maina behind it. "Oh hello, Fuuko-san! Sorry I couldn't get to the door faster, we're short staffed so I had to help out with lunch and the kids were extra, er, energetic this morning."

"No worries, I hope we're not coming at a bad time?" Fuuko asked, she knew how hectic it could be at the home and didn't want to impose.

Maina shook her head quickly as she opened the door wider and motioned for them to come in. "Nah, we've just finished cleaning up and the young ones are taking an afternoon nap, so everything's calmed down. Mind telling me who this is?"

"Oh yes, Maina, this is Tokiya," Fuuko put a hand over her mouth as she stifled a giggle, "he's my bo--" her shoulders shook as she struggled to get the word out, "my boyf--" and once again she was attacked by a bout of snickers and snorts.

Maina stared at her with anticipation as she waited for Fuuko to finish the introduction. Tokiya let out an impatient 'tsk' before holding his hand out graciously to the diminutive woman before him and finishing the job himself. "I'm Tokiya, Fuuko's boyfriend, a pleasure to meet you."

As soon as he spoke the words, Fuuko suddenly let out a girlish squeal before giggling some more. Maina looked at her strangely. "Er, well, why don't we talk in the parlor, you're just in time for one of the children's repertoires." The director walked ahead of them giving the two the privacy of conversation.

"What's so funny?" Tokiya asked, not masking the tiny bit of hurt in his voice. It was quite insulting getting laughed at after introducing himself as her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Mi-chan, it's just," and she cut herself off with another set of girlish giggles.

Tokiya just rolled his eyes, seriously contemplating whacking her over the head. It's not like she can't take it.

Sensing the irritation of her brand new spanking boyfriend, Fuuko calmed herself down, hopefully long enough to explain. "You know how when we were sixteen and everyone was like into NSync or the Backstreet Boys? And you know how teenage girls lose their shit if they even get a glimpse of Justin Timberlake? And then just imagine if they grew up and suddenly they're dating Justin Timberlake. Well you're kind of like my Justin Timberlake," she said, the blush on her cheeks threatening to take over her face.

Tokiya arched an eyebrow at her. "I remind you of Justin Timberlake?" He wasn't sure if he should be happy about that.

She sighed exasperatedly; frustrated that he just didn't get it. Fuuko moved closer to him and took a deep breath, thinking of a better way to put her thoughts to words. "No! It's like I'm dating someone who used to be so out of my league. I mean everyone wanted you, you had a fan club for crying out loud…in high school! And now I have you and that makes me…giggly," she finished with a tiny giggle as she fiddled with the top button of his polo shirt.

Tokiya put his hands on her lower back and pulled her closer. "Are you saying you had a crush on me in high school?" he said with a smirk.

Fuuko groaned although the smile never left her face. "Way to miss the point!"

He grinned and pecked her nose. "I did not miss the point. I just picked out the parts I liked. Now about this crush you had, tell me when exactly did it start? Was it the mirror house? Or was it before we met? Were you one of the girls who watched me play basketball in gym? I bet you loved it whenever I took off my shirt," he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"You're impossible!" she cried and tried to escape his hold but he hung on to her tightly.

"No, no, we have to explore this little known secret of yours. If you'd like I'd gladly put on my old high school uniform, of course you'd have to wear yours. And we can re-enact you're battle with Fujimaru except I'll be using my hands to undress you and I'll be the only one watching," he said with a serious expression although she could not mistake the naughty glint in his eye.

"Ugh! I hate you!" she said, pushing him off her.

But before she could walk away, he held onto her wrist and with a warm smile said, "One more thing Fuuko, I was never out of your league."

_To be continued..._

**End Notes: **I don't care what you say, I love that last part! I just keep picturing them in my head, they're so cute. Sorry, I'm just feeling cute.

**Next Chapter: **Continuation of the Little Angels trip and the date. Yay!

**THANKS FOR READING AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! **


	11. Can't Get Enough Of You Baby

**Disclaimer: **FoR belongs to Anzai-sama. Not me. 'Can't Get Enough of You Baby' is by The Colourfields.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about the long delay. At least it's not three months, right? I promise next chapter will come out sooner. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, your lovely words keep me going. This is by the way the clean version of the chapter. I actually edited out like two thousand words because they were all smut, LOL. A much naughtier version is found on my Yahoo Group ToFuu Flavored Lemon (the link can be found on my profile page). If you want to read it then go on and join. Make sure you're of age. **THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**WARNING: This does contain adult themes although I edited out the explicit parts. If you want to read the full version, it can be found on my Yahoo Group TOFUU FLAVORED LEMON. The link is in my author profile page. **

**Chapter Eleven: Can't Get Enough of You Baby**

Tokiya clapped reservedly, an appreciative expression on his face, a direct contrast to the purple haired onna beside who clapped and hooted like she was at a rave party as the children (four boys and three girls) sang the last notes of The Beatles' 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'.

"That was so awesome!" Fuuko said enthusiastically, addressing the kids, her hands seemingly unable to stop themselves from clapping. She jumped up from the three legged stool she'd occupied for the last fifteen minutes and went to give each of the child performers a tight embrace. Tokiya was not shocked to see the comfort with which children interacted with her, even when they were teens she'd always been good with kids.

Tokiya stood up as well but stood a little away from the group, not sure how he was expected to act around them. He had never been comfortable around children, even when he was a child himself. He grew up with only his sister as a friend and after that in a secluded dojo with the man who taught him swordsmanship. His fist clenched out of instinct at the reminder, not even in memory can he utter the man's name or call him his sensei.

"Mi-chan?"

Tokiya broke out of his morbid thoughts at the gentle sound of Fuuko's voice. When he looked up a bright smile that he'd secretly admired ever since they were teens graced her face. She waved him over. His eyes grew wide at the implication and gave a jittery shake of his head.

"Come on, they're not going to bite you!" she teased. Then she faced the group of kids who were all looking at him expectantly, much to his chagrin, and said, "You have to forgive him, he's horribly repressed."

He doubted that any of them understood what exactly she was saying but it didn't stop him from getting embarrassed, his girlfriend was the poster girl for tactless. She continued to stare at him imploringly until he felt he had no choice but to follow. As soon as he was within a foot of her she reached out for his hand and pulled him to her side, placing an arm around his waist and guided his around her own.

"Drum roll please," Fuuko signaled to a bespectacled kid and he began to drum on his protruding stomach. "Sassy Satomi on drums," she pointed to a pale girl about eleven with straight edged bangs that covered her eyes, "Kick ass Kitaro on bass," a stoic boy of about thirteen who he noticed has an odd flower shaped scar on his left cheek nodded at him, "Ingenious Iwano on keyboards," a boy who must've had an early growth spurt, almost as tall as Fuuko, smiled politely and adjusted the thick black rimmed glasses on his nose, "Rockin' Ryuichi on guitars," Tokiya noticed it was the same kid who did the impromptu drum roll earlier, and for such a short stop he could sure rock that guitar, although he was kind of too young to be wearing skinny jeans, wasn't he? "Charming chanteuses Chiaki and Chieko on back up vocals, they're twins by the way," the two girls with matching side parted hair and pink sun dresses curtsied with such precise timing that it kind of freaked Tokiya out, "and finally the Explosive Eisen on lead vocals and guitar," the final member of the band bowed courteously.

Tokiya gave them a tiny wave, feeling rather self conscious before addressing Fuuko. "You're just bursting with alliterations today, aren't you?" he joshed.

"Dude, it took me three days to come up with that," she confessed shamelessly.

"Shocking," he deadpanned. Tokiya held in a grimace as Fuuko punched him in the arm, not wanting to look wimpy in front of the kids; it's not like they knew just how strong his girlfriend was. "You were all very talented, I'm sure you'll do very well at the concert," he addressed them congenially, hoping that the slight shake in his voice wasn't too obvious. They were all staring at him with those huge kid eyes and it was unnerving him.

"Mister, is that your natural hair color?" one of the twins, Cheesepuff or something, asked Tokiya all of a sudden.

"Are you wearing hair extensions? 'Cause I seriously doubt you can grow your hair that long," the other twin, Cheetos, interjected before he could answer.

"Who cares? It looks cool," the kid who played the guitar said, giving him an appreciative glance. Alright, that was kind of disturbing.

"Psh, long hair is so gay," the lead singer said, sounding very much like the leader of his pack of rugrats.

"Does that mean you're gay, Mister?" the shy voice of the drummer spoke.

"I'M NOT GAY!"

Everyone was suddenly shocked into silence that lasted longer than Tokiya wanted until finally little Satomi dropped her drumsticks on the floor; a welcome distraction. Okay, so that came out a little too strongly than Tokiya expected.

"Er, I'm sorry, I'm just, not gay. Nor do I have hair extensions. And this is my natural hair color," he said sheepishly.

"Gee, mister, keep your pants on," lead singer kid said.

"Or not," the keyboardist followed up, batting his eyelashes at the Ensui wielder. Alright, that kid was seriously creeping him out.

The bassist typically never said a word.

Fuuko at that moment decided to lend a hand. Perhaps the fact that his usually pale skin was now a bright shade of red clued her in on his absolute helplessness. "Hey, why don't you guys head on over to the kitchen, I brought cupcakes," she told them. Everyone immediately scuttled out of the room. The girls gave him a shy wave, the boys mostly ignored him with the exception of the guitarist who gave him a wink. Tokiya shuddered.

"So maybe introducing you to the kids wasn't exactly a good idea," she said, her way of an apology.

"Gee, ya think?" he answered sardonically.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," she tried to amend, rubbing his arms to calm his frazzled nerves.

"That little boy winked at me," he said, involuntarily shuddering once more.

Fuuko snorted. "I'm sure he just had something in his eye…like the vision of your perfection," and then she laughed. Loud.

"It's not funny. Stop laughing at my pain," he warned.

"The girls were pretty fond of you," she countered in an attempt to calm him.

"They thought I had weird hair," he said.

"They were just curious."

"Children are vicious. Aren't they like twelve?" He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly and pouted.

"Well, these kids are a bit rougher, they've been living on the streets most of their lives," she explained.

"Bah."

"You have to admit though, they were really good," she said, drawing closer to him. That calmed him down; her scent and presence always calmed him down.

"Yes, music wise they are really talented. I'm just terrible with kids; that's why I'll never have them," he said offhandedly not noticing the way Fuuko stiffened up at his words.

"Don't speak so soon," she tried to say nonchalantly, her arms dropping to her sides.

"Children and I just don't mix, it's one thing my minds set on," he insisted, completely oblivious to the Fuuko's suddenly somber mood.

Fuuko tried not to look so disappointed. She had always known that he didn't like children, but she figured he wouldn't mind them if they were his own. She'd never been privy to Tokiya's plans for the future, or lack thereof, there was never a need to discuss it. It never really directly affected her. But once again she banished away the thoughts, she shouldn't be thinking too far ahead into the relationship. Their relationship was fresh and minds changed. She hoped.

"Let's not speak of it anymore, it's absolutely pointless. Weren't you going to discuss the plans for the benefit concert with Maina-san?" he said, cutting into her thoughts.

"Yeah, of course. Come on, let's go to her office," she said lowly as she grabbed Tokiya's hand and with a plastered smile on her face.

* * *

"No. Just no." 

Tokiya sent an innocently naughty smile her way. "Why not?"

"We are not seeing this movie. You know of my deep hatred for Dane Cook. Seriously, the guy is like obnoxious and horrifically unfunny," she said, glaring at the poster of Jessica Alba holding a dripping cone of vanilla ice cream. She was convinced it had some sort of subliminal sexual message.

Tokiya slid an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "Well if it turns out to be horrible, then I'm sure we can find something else to occupy ourselves with."

That's when Fuuko got with the program. "Oh Kami, Tokiya. We aren't twelve, I don't just go into a movie house to make out."

"You made out in movie houses when you were twelve?"

"No!"

"That's what you said."

"Oh shut up. The point is, I'm a grown up, so when I go to see a movie, I actually go to see a movie," she said snootily and tried to resist snapping her neck at him because that's just silly.

Tokiya just pouted unaffectedly. "You're ruining my fun."

"And you're ruining the date," Fuuko bit back. Honestly, he was pissing her off, she didn't want their first date to basically be a PG-13 version of what they did in the bedroom. And knowing how extremely horny her boyfriend was, he was going to find ways to push it to NC-17.

Tokiya straightened up at the tone of her voice. While he honestly was looking forward to stolen kisses in the dark (and he's pretty sure she's very well aware of his secret penchant for public make out sessions) he figured this was important to her. "Alright love, you pick the movie."

Fuuko couldn't help the small smile on her face, knowing that if she were any other girl he wouldn't have given in so easily, but the fact that she can pretty much circumvent his ego makes her feel very special. "How about 'I Am Legend'," she suggested, "I heard it got great reviews."

"I also heard it was depressing," he said with a slight frown. He may not be the most romantic person in the world but he was pretty sure a movie involving the demise of the earth's population wasn't exactly date material.

Fuuko sighed, "Atonement?"

"Romantic period piece? Are you kidding me?"

"The Golden Compass?"

"I'm not eight."

"Blond Ambition?"

"I'm not retarded."

"Sweeney Todd?"

"I'm not going to sit through two hours of you swooning over Johnny Depp."

Fuuko had to restrain herself from bonking his head. She had forgotten how extremely difficult he could be. She looked over his shoulder at the program board and looked at the last title on the list.

With a resigned groan she said, "Alvin and the Chipmunks?"

His face brightened. "Oh cool, I loved Alvin, and Simon was my favourite of course, used to watch it on TV on Saturday mornings." Without waiting for her consent he practically dragged her to the ticket booth and got two movie passes for 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' almost giddily. Fuuko could only shake her head. It still amazes her that after knowing him for more than half her life she still cannot predict what goes on his mind. But she liked it just the same.

* * *

As the credits rolled up Fuuko had come to a conclusion. She did not love the Chipmunks. They were strange and their chipmunk-y voice annoyed her to no end. American cartoons are strange, strange things. But she couldn't help but be content because while she absolutely hated the movie, she also absolutely loved the omnipresent smile that graced his face and a look that she never thought she'd see in his eyes, innocence. 

They walked towards his car, holding hands, in a leisurely pace. The sidewalk was now almost bare of pedestrians save for the few couples who also caught the last full screening of the movie that just ended.

"I thought you weren't eight," she teased.

Tokiya just shrugged seemingly unable to wipe the grin on his face. "I didn't exactly enjoy the movie…just felt nice watching it."

"Hmm?" she urged him to continue.

"My sister watched it with me religiously, every Saturday morning at eight. It's the only time of the week she'd let me eat in front of the television. I think she had a bit of a crush on Jim, it's weird, isn't it?" he said. She wasn't sure if he offered it as an explanation or just one of those random glimpses into his life but it made her understand why for one and a half hours he looked like someone who had never witnessed death.

Fuuko squeezed his hand and nodded. It wasn't because she didn't know how to respond, it was because he didn't need one. He just needed her to hear.

As they reached his car, he opened the door for her like a gentleman, something he doesn't normally do and she couldn't help but blush a bit by the gesture. When Tokiya felt like it, he can be a real charmer, she knew of extravagant things he did for ex-girlfriends, horse carriage rides at night, dinner at the Hyatt, expensive jewelry, shopping trips at Ginza, things that women normally fall for. Not that she was above that; she wasn't going to act like the kettle to the pot, because seriously, what woman didn't like jewelry? But it was the little things he did that made her heart skip a beat. Like when he gives her a foot massage after walking on four inch heels on a twelve hour work day, or when he puts a blanket around her when she falls asleep on the couch, too tired to go to bed, or when he happens to "pass by" that one obscure dim sum shop Asakusa and brings home her favorite shrimp dumpling and taro cake, or when he takes the remote control from her hand and turns off the TV because he thought her eyes were tired…

"Penny for your thoughts?" she heard him ask softly. It didn't occur to her that he had started the car and was now driving down a rather empty road.

"Just thinking," she said.

"About me perhaps?" he said with a cocky smile.

And just to throw him off, she answered the truth. "Yes."

But then he said something that she never expected. "Good."

She chuckled at that. Still an arrogant bastard. "I thought we were going to dinner," she asked, noticing that they were traversing unpaved roads outside the center of town.

"We are," he answered coolly.

"Where exactly?" she asked curiously.

"You'll see when we get there," he said with a roguish wink as he reached over to lightly pinch her cheek.

She pouted. "I thought you didn't have anything planned."

"I lied," he said cheekily. He grabbed her hand and molded it over the round handle of the stick shift and wrapped his hand over hers. When she tried to pull her hand away he just held it tighter and merely gave her an infuriatingly ambiguous grin at her questioning look.

Fuuko kept badgering him into telling her where they were really going but he just kept that furtive grin on his face and squeezed her hand over the stick shift until she finally gave up and decided to close her eyes for a minute or two. She was kind of tired…

"Baby, wake up," Tokiya whispered softly to the napping Fuuko.

Fuuko's eyes fluttered open seemingly dazed as if she had forgotten where she was exactly. "Mi-chan?"

"We're here." And without further adieu he stepped out of the car. In a quick second the door to her side opened with Tokiya offering his hand to help her out. Fuuko fumbled a bit with her seatbelt before holding onto the hand waiting for her patiently.

As soon as she was out, Fuuko absorbed their surroundings. She knew this place, it was a posh beach strip lined up with privately owned ocean front houses about an hour away from their hometown. It was overly crowded in the morning, the beach being a public area but at night it was a practical ghost town. The houses were all privately owned and only used by their rich and privileged owners in the summer, and it definitely wasn't summer.

She looked at the house the car was currently parked in front of. She couldn't see much of the architectural structure from this side; after all they were parked in the back of the house. She just knew it was painted in beautiful toucan blue.

Tokiya meanwhile was busy unloading two duffel bags and an icebox from the trunk of his car. He walked up to her and handed her an overnight bag she recognized was hers. "I packed for you," he explained. Fuuko couldn't help but smirk; she had a rough idea of what kind of clothes he packed for her.

"Whose house is this?" she asked as he led her towards the wooden staircase leading to the backdoor.

"Fujikawa-sama's. He lets his employees use his beach house for vacation and when I called him and told him I planned a little outing with you he immediately sent his caretaker over to give me the keys," he said as he fitted the key into the keyhole.

"That's nice of him," she said.

"You know he loves you," he said fondly. His boss does love her, and he can't blame him, Fuuko can be unbelievably charming when she wants to be.

"Does that mean you told him about us?" she asked flippantly.

Tokiya chuckled as he finally opened the door and pulled her to a darkened kitchen. "Fuuko, everyone at my office already thinks we're together."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think it had something to do with us drunkenly making out at the office Christmas party three years ago. I didn't have the patience to set anyone straight," he said. The truth was he didn't want anyone at his work thinking she was a floozy for being so intimate with someone she wasn't involved with. They understood their arrangement perfectly at that point but it didn't mean his conservative accountant colleagues would.

"Oh yeah, good times," she said with a nostalgic smirk on her face.

Tokiya placed the icebox on the black marble kitchen countertop before taking the overnight bag from her and walking toward one of the rooms, she figured a bedroom. When he came out he wordlessly took her hand and led her towards the front deck with the moonlight guiding him. He slid the opaque glass panel door giving Fuuko the perfect view of the ocean, tides slapping wildly on the wet sand. The moon glowed orange above them. And then she noticed the small round table covered in white linen and two chairs sitting beside each other. While she was marveling at the view of the beach, Tokiya had lit two candles that stood on each side of a small vase of lilies. Soft music flowed out of the small boom box on the floor; she recognized it as one coming from her personal CD collection, he wasn't one for R&B music but she was certain that were Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore crooning 'Loveable'. So this was what it was like to be Mikagami Tokiya's girlfriend, she thought to herself. He grinned at the way she smiled so girlishly and guided her to sit on a chair. His hands massaged her shoulders gently before he leaned down and kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Just sit and relax while I go prepare dinner," he whispered in her ear before gently biting the soft muscle of her earlobe, as if a small reminder of just how much he wanted her.

When Tokiya disappeared inside the house, Fuuko busied herself by fiddling with the flatware set neatly on the table. After she got bored of blowing on her spoon and watching the fog of her breath obscure her reflection more, she plucked a stem of lily from the vase and sniffed. Lilies, he remembered her favorite flowers. Yeah, someone's getting lucky tonight. She snickered to herself, man she was easy. But then again, she loved Tokiya, she doubted she'd be so please over something so small if it were anyone else.

At that moment Tokiya emerged from the house balancing two plates on one arm like an expert waiter and a bottle of wine on the other. He settled the wine on the ice bucket and set the plates in front of them. He fixed the napkin on her lap before attending to his own, as if determined to not let her do anything tonight.

"That was pretty quick," she said, staring at the sumptuous slab of beef in front of her, decorated in steak sauce and rosemary. She doubted he made this in ten minutes.

"Well, your Mom actually packed us dinner. Although I did utilize the microwave rather expertly," he said as he sliced her steak for her. He held her fork to her mouth, a silent request for her to open up, "Eat up baby, you're going to need lots of protein for what I have planned for you for tonight."

Fuuko closed her mouth over the fork, making sure to seal her lips tightly around the cool metal before slowly letting it slide out of her mouth. She daintily chewed the tasty meat and licked the lingering steak sauce around her lips. She almost laughed out loud at the studious way Tokiya stared at her lips. "Pervert," she teased.

"Only for you," he easily returned.

She had to laugh at that. "That's just cheesy."

"True. But you can't deny it turns you on." And as if to prove it he casually cupped her left breast and flicked his thumb against the hard nipple straining against her cashmere sweater. She couldn't help the tiny whimper in her throat and then the bastard went and took away his hand.

"Tease," she whined.

"All in good time, Fuuko," he said and turned to his own plate. They continued to eat in silence except for the occasional compliment on Mrs. Kirisawa's cooking or Fuuko joshing Tokiya about his microwaving abilities.

When they finished dinner, Tokiya opened the bottle of merlot and poured them a glass. They just sat back and talked about their lives. She animatedly told him about her latest project and little anecdotes about the kids he had met earlier, apparently Ryuichi was one snotty little diva who either has a devastating crush on Satomi the drummer or just jealous of her prettiness. He told her about his adventures with Domon (that one time they got kicked out of a strip joint because apparently the gorilla can't read and did not see the 'No Touching the Strippers' neon signs plastered on every corner) and how he almost made Ganko's new boytoy pee in his pants. She laughed boisterously and he just looked pensive all the time although there was always that amused twinkle in his eyes. They talked just like they were back in their Tokyo loft on a Friday night. And though neither voiced their thoughts, both could not help but be relieved that the transition from friends with benefits to boyfriend and girlfriend was just so easy. Maybe because subconsciously they've always acted like they were, they just refused to name their relationship and hid for so long behind the curtain of friendship.

Tokiya noticed that the CD player started 'You're All I Need to Get By' for the third time and glanced at his watch. They had been talking for roughly two hours already and he noticed that Fuuko's head was lolling a bit to the side. He reached for her hand and kissed her finger tips. "Why don't we change into something more comfortable and then we can have dessert by the fireplace?" he suggested coolly.

"That's a good idea," she said.

Placing their goblets on the table, the two stood up and went back inside. He pulled her towards the bedroom where he left their overnight bags.

"The bathroom's right through that door if you want to freshen up a bit," he told her as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"I think I want to take a shower," she said as she studied the contents of her overnight bag. Surprise, surprise, lots of lingerie. Not just lingerie, it was 'Lingerie Tokiya liked to see Fuuko in.' She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow his way and he only grinned back.

"I personally prefer the red see-through teddy and matching thong," he said. She threw a brush at him. "Just a suggestion!"

"I'll be in the shower," she said curtly. Tokiya figured it wasn't a good idea to ask her if she needed company. Besides, they had lots of time for that.

Tokiya had stripped down to his navy blue boxer briefs when he heard the shower running and figured that was his cue to start preparing dessert. He probably had about half an hour to prepare everything. He first went to the linen closet and took out a couple of pillows, a comforter and a brand new set of linen and futon he'd ask the caretaker to purchase earlier. He wasn't about to take her on some stranger's bed, much less his boss', that was just weird. He set up the make shift bed in front of the fireplace before getting to the kitchen. He took out strawberries and whip cream from inside the ice box. He decided strawberry parfait for dessert, which was easy enough to make.

Meanwhile Fuuko was finishing up on her bath. She decided on wearing a purple camisole with black lace trimmings and matching bikini panties. No matter how sexy they looked, she would never wear thongs for any purpose other than avoiding visible panty lines. They rode like a bitch. The camisole set was actually from Tokiya. He gave it to her as his birthday present for himself. She snorted, at least he owned up to that.

After she finished drying her hair she went out to the living area. Fuuko found Tokiya lounging on a bed of pillows and blankets wearing nothing but his boxer briefs, the fireplace blazing heatedly behind him. The man looked like a catalog for sex. He patted the space beside him and smirked saucily at her in invitation.

Fuuko lay down on her side and propped her head up on her elbows as he shamelessly admired her attire.

"I love this on you," he said as he fingered the laced edges of her camisole.

"I'm sure. What's for dessert?"

"I made strawberry parfait."

Tokiya retrieved a single parfait glass from behind him filled to the brim with whip cream and cut up strawberries. He dipped a spoon into the confection and served her a healthy bite. They fed each other the sweet treat mingled with sweet kisses until only half a piece of strawberry drowning in whip cream was left. He scooped it up with the tiny spoon, purposefully letting it overflow with the white cream and fed it to her open mouth. She chewed and excess cream gathered on the side of her lips, dripping down her chin. Kami, what that sight reminded him of. Before she could brush it away with her tongue he'd attacked her mouth, licking away the whip cream on her lips before going after the sweetness inside her mouth. As the airy texture of strawberry was exhausted between them, they were left with nothing more than each others taste and Tokiya would have it no other way.

Tokiya placed the parfait glass haphazardly on the floor, never breaking the kiss save for a second of breath, so his hands could be free to push her down the futon and wander through the curves of her body.

"Mi-chan," she groaned breathily as his lips trailed down her neck and his tongue laved the dip of her throat.

"Fuck, never thought I'd love that nickname so much," he whispered as he felt his member twitch against her leg.

_CENSORED_

Fuuko lay down on the sea of pillows, her hair settling wildly around her. She spread her creamy stems wide, allowing Tokiya to settle his hips between them. He watched the flickers of firelight sketch shadows on her face, giving him a slideshow of every feature he'd learned to adore over the years. Her button nose, her strong jaw, her pouty lips, her cheeks that remained chubby no matter how thing she got and her coffee brown eyes that had seen so much pain yet remains so faithful. She wasn't a traditionally beautiful woman, not by a long shot, but in his eyes, there was only her and that was what mattered.

He cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her leisurely, enjoying the innocent way their lips touched. "There are so many things I want to say to you right now…"

"But you're not ready. It's okay Mi-chan, I can wait," Fuuko supplied.

He kissed her again with so much intensity, trying to communicate with his lips what he couldn't say in words. _Soon, Fuuko, soon I'll give you everything you deserve to have._

_CENSORED  
_

He collapsed on top of her feeling absolutely boneless, sweaty head pillowed on her breasts. He didn't think he'd have the energy to stand up for days.

"Wow, Mi-chan, that was…" Fuuko tried to search for the words in her still dazed mind.

"Different," he said as he placed sweet kisses on the swell of her breasts. "I didn't think it would be. I had no idea, Fuuko, how different it would feel knowing that you're mine and I'm yours."

She smiled at his words. "Are you really mine?"

"For as long as you'll have me," he promised her.

_To be continued..._

**_End Notes: _**Whew. So, next chapter would include the concert and a couple of other things. I love these two so much. I'm half tempted to just skip the angst and have them live happily ever after but then it would destroy the plot I've had envisioned in my head. So please I hope you guys stick with me. Also, songs mentioned in this chapter were taken from Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore's album "Things that Lovers Do"

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	12. Melt With You

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing. Wah. Melt With You is by Modern English (but I'm listening to the amazing Jason Mraz version...even though I hate Jason Mraz' hat with a passion)

**Author's Notes:** I'd like to thank my reviewers again. I'm so sorry if lately I haven't been able to do the individual replies. Special thanks to **khay** (trashy novels FTW; sidenote, read her story Comedy of Errors) **aki reinhart **and **Ei-rist** for your lovely words. And **Malo** for always reviewing, oh God, I wish I had the time to and the knowledge to write a historical romance for these two. But I'm just afraid to touch that. And to thecritic, I doubt you're reading this, but I guess you're right, this is a cheap romance novel. It never really aspired to be anything more than a romance or an exposition, it's fluff. I'm sorry if it's not your cup of tea. And at **OD-chan**, dude, I keep putting that off. One of these days I swear. Also I love the first part of this chapter. And I love Recca. And Domon. But you know that already. No Betas, all mistakes are mine.

**Warning: **Again, this is the clean version. I don't what's with me and Lemon these days. Anyway, dirty version is up at my Yahoo Group (ToFuu Flavored Lemon) and link can be found on my profile page.

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! **

**Chapter Twelve: Melt With You**

"I love you."

Tokiya frowned bemusedly. Here he planned this entire romantic getaway and Fuuko goes and proclaims her love for a cheeseburger.

"Are you planning on eloping with that sandwich?" he asked.

"Oh no, we're going about it the regal way. The wedding will be in June in a church made of diamonds," she said to him. The swift winds dancing with palm trees seemed to applaud her vision

"That hurts, Fuuko. My rival for your affections is a quarter pound of beef," he said with a scowl, digging his toes into sand cooled by the night air.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you on the side," she assured him, biting into her cheeseburger with gusto.

"Oh goody," he said indulgently.

Then they both burst into laughter, Fuuko with her boisterous cackles, Tokiya with his reserved snorts. It blended nicely with the cacophony of waves and silence.

* * *

Fuuko awoke feeling rather enclosed. It didn't take her long to recognize the familiar warmth of Tokiya spooning her, his head buried in her nape, arm possessively wrapped around and under her shirt, cupping her right breast as if staking a claim. His elbow was digging rather uncomfortably into her bladder reminding her of the bottle of beer she drank after their midnight 7-11 raid. She tried to wiggle out of his hold but he only clung to her tighter. 

"It's too early to get up," he whispered sleepily.

Judging from susurrus of a crowd outside the beach house, she was pretty sure it was anything but early. "I have to pee, Mi-chan," she whispered back.

He groaned but let her up. "Hurry and come back to bed."

"Psh, so demanding," she admonished him jokingly and got up and rushed to the bathroom. At around midnight last night Fuuko decided she wanted a burger and Tokiya, rather used to the role of her spoiler, drove around the slumbering town until they found a twenty-four hour McDonald's and a 7-11 on the way. They stayed up, sitting on the beach, watching the waves, eating their take out and talking about everything and nothing until around three in the morning. They decided to settle for the night in the bedroom, there was no point sleeping on a futon when you had a perfectly good mattress available.

Tokiya was trying not to let wakefulness overtake him, he would've enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon just sleeping in with Fuuko, but the persistent intro of Interpol's Narc was ringing in his ears until he could no longer ignore it. He peered over the side of the bed, trying to move as little as he possibly could, and picked up his discarded pants. He took out his mobile from the back pocket and answered without checking who it was.

"Mikagami Tokiya speaking," he greeted grouchily.

"Tokiya-kun, finally I got a hold of you. I've been trying to reach you and Fuuko-chan since last night!" a female voice wafted to his half unconscious hearing.

"Who is this?" he asked, still rather disoriented.

"It's Yanagi."

Tokiya sighed and sat up at the edge of the bed. "Yanagi, what can I do for you this morning?"

"You mean afternoon," she said flippantly, Tokiya glanced over the clock to confirm her words and sure enough it was already a quarter past one. Yanagi continued. "Anyway, Recca and I have this spur of the moment dinner party tonight. Recca ran into some of our old friends and we thought it was time for a little reunion!"

"Which old friends?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't really keen on letting that ninja fruit Raiha anywhere near his girlfriend.

"Er, to be honest I'm not sure, he just said people are coming over," she said cheerily. Typical Yanagi. "But I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Sure, I'll tell Fuuko," he said.

"She's with you?" she asked, sounding a little too accusatory.

"Of course," he said, not feeling the need to offer anymore.

It took her a telling moment to respond and when she spoke again, her jovial disposition had returned. "Then I'll see you both tonight. And bring dessert!" With a click, the call ended.

Tokiya dropped his phone on the bed and went to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. "Fuuko?"

"I'm in the shower!" she shouted over the jet stream of water.

Tokiya rolled his eyes before turning the knob, thankfully the door was unlocked.

"We're going to have to leave early; unfortunately, Yanagi and Recca invited us to dinner. Some sort of reunion," he said to her.

"Reunion?"

"Recca apparently ran into some of our old friends," he said vaguely.

"Any particulars?"

"No."

"Well, it should be fun," she dismissed lightly.

Tokiya pulled on the strings of his sleeping pants and let it drop to the floor before opening the glass shower door to reveal Fuuko in the middle of soaping up. She merely glanced at him, quite used to his habit of invading her showers. He stepped in and took the wash towel from her hand and scrubbed her back for her.

"I thought I told you to hurry back to bed," he said, sounding rather miffed.

"Well, I felt sticky," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

The wash towel was dropped and he started soaping her up with his bare hands...

* * *

Fuuko and Tokiya didn't get back until some time past six due to the afternoon traffic. When they got home they found Ganko in the kitchen, arranging freshly baked cupcakes inside two boxes. Apparently Yanagi had gotten hold of her last night and informed her of their dessert duties, which was a good thing since neither Tokiya nor Fuuko remembered it. 

Fuuko immediately went into her room to change into something more presentable for dinner and Tokiya did the same. As they were about to leave he got a call from one of the junior associates (whose name he can't remember).

"Fuuko, you two will have to go on ahead, I just need to email some documents to the office. This might take a while," he called to his girlfriend as she went down the stairs.

"But you'll make it to dinner?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll follow right after," he said.

Tokiya took in her attire. She was wearing a red cocktail dress that went past her knees and hugged her curves nicely.

"You look good," he complimented honestly. He bent his head and kissed her sweetly. It was right at that moment that Ganko came out of the kitchen carrying boxes of cupcakes.

"So, anything you guys want to tell me?" Ganko asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

Tokiya wrapped his arm around Fuuko's waist. No point in dallying. "I'm dating your sister."

Ganko placed the boxes carefully on the table by the door before rushing to the Ensui master and giving him a bear hug. "I've always wanted you for a brother in law!"

Tokiya stiffened at the connotation of her words and Fuuko tried not to notice. Ganko seemed oblivious to their reactions.

"Well, let's go," the younger girl said, bouncing on her heels.

Fuuko cleared the lump that mysteriously got in her throat. "We'll go ahead, Mi-chan has some work things."

"I'll be right after. Be safe," he reminded them before placing a kiss on Fuuko's temple.

…

The sisters took Mrs. Kirisawa's van towards the Hanabishi's home and arrived there in fifteen minutes. Ganko had to be slowest driver known to mankind, Fuuko thought. They went up to the porch, each carrying a pink box filled with Ganko's home made cupcakes. Fuuko rang the doorbell which was promptly answered by Yanagi, once again in her Suzy Homemaker get up.

"You're late!" she admonished in greeting.

"But we brought cupcakes!" Ganko said as an excuse.

"Where's Tokiya?"

"He'll be by a little later. Work stuff," Fuuko said, "Ganko can you take the cupcakes to the kitchen. You know the way?"

"Sure sis," the young girl said, knowing that her sister wanted to talk with her best friend. Fuuko handed her the box and Ganko went on her way.

"Oh my God, Yanagi-chan, I have so much to tell you," Fuuko squealed girlishly as soon as Ganko was out of earshot.

"Hold onto that thought, our guests are here and we have to greet them," Yanagi said, completely ignoring her best friend's outburst in favor of performing her hostess duties.

"Fine, but make sure we get some girl time later, okay. You're going to burst an artery when you hear this," Fuuko said.

Yanagi led Fuuko to the sitting area. She found two women sitting on the couch with their backs to the newly arrived guest. She didn't immediately recognize them until the two turned around. It was two-thirds of Uruha Oto

"Miki! Aki! Kami, you look so different," Fuuko exclaimed. Well Miki mostly looked different since she no longer had that god awful haircut and the psychotic Dominia gear. Aki had kept her hair short, but in a pixie style emphasizing the sharp contours of her face. Together with their sister Neon, they really were of beautiful genes.

"Fuuko-san, so nice to see you," Miki said sincerely. The two came up and gave her a hug.

"Okay, you three catch up, I'll be in the kitchen finishing dinner. Recca and Domon should be back from getting ice in a while," Yanagi said before exiting the room.

The three women sat on the couch and got to talking. Miki ran into Recca last week at the place where she worked (Victoria's Secret, his excuse was he was getting a gift for Yanagi). Aki and her still live together, the younger woman went back to school and currently finishing up her degree in Marine Biology, which Miki fully supported. Their sister Neon was in Hong Kong and married to a car salesman of all people. Fuuko just couldn't imagine the statuesque woman making home with a car salesman, but then she'd seen weirder things in her life so yeah.

Aki began asking questions about her. Fuuko told her about her work as an Events Organizer and invited both girls to the benefit concert for Little Angels.

Miki spoke her next words slinkily, "I heard you were living with Mikagami-san."

Fuuko brightened up at the mention of her comrade, turned roommate, turned boyfriend. "Yeah, we share a loft in Tokyo. He's working for an accounting firm."

She nodded. "Is he still a hottie?"

Fuuko thought nothing of the question. "Definitely. But don't let him hear that, the guy has an ego the size of Mt. Fuji."

The three giggled, remembering the arrogant teenager that he was.

At that moment Domon and Recca arrived. Domon, who had yet to see the two women, turned on his charm and leered into the sisters as he kissed their hands. Fuuko slapped him upside the head.

The two girls excused themselves to go to the lavatory and the guy talk began.

"Miki got pretty," Domon commented offhandedly.

Recca laughed. "Hey, that one's reserved for Mikagami, go after Aki."

Fuuko's eyes widened. "What?!"

Recca went on, oblivious of the steam coming out of Fuuko's ears. "He's single, she's single. She's definitely interested, at least that's what she told me when I talked to her."

Fuuko wanted to throttle him…and her. Oh man, she was seriously going to cut a bitch. She was about to tell Recca off for setting up sluts with her man but then Yanagi came in ushering them to the dining area. She told Recca to wait for the sisters to come back.

Fuuko could do nothing but follow, because Yanagi was seriously scary when it came to her dinner parties.

Fuuko sat stiffly in her chair with Domon to her left as they waited for everyone to join them. Ganko had apparently been roped into helping Yanagi with dinner and the two were still busy finishing up leaving the two childhood friends and once romantically linked Domon and Fuuko.

"So, is he really single?" Domon asked pointedly. One look at him and Fuuko knew that he knew.

"No, and how did you know?" she said. She had always been comfortable with Domon, like she could tell him any secret knowing that he will never judge her for it. It was why they were such close friends

"Well, he may have told me," he said with that shit eating grin, "He was going crazy the past week you know, he needed to let it out and I was around. When did you two make it official?"

"Yesterday," Fuuko answered with a shy smile.

"Aww, my little Fuuko-chan is in love," Domon teased.

"Shut up or I will cut you. I swear I can still take your ass on," she returned playfully.

Domon help up his hands. "Down girl. Save that aggression in the bedroom."

Fuuko punched his arm and Domon grimaced. "So what's this shit about Recca setting up that girl with Mi-chan?"

Domon rolled his eyes. "Well he has no clue. As always."

"This is going to be disastrous, isn't it?"

"But definitely entertaining," he said as he waggled her eyebrows at her.

…

Recca waited for the two girls to come down from the hall where the lavatory was. Damn women and their incessant preening. Just as he saw them walking down from the hall, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Recca yelled towards the people in the dining room and kitchen.

Before he went to answer though he instructed Aki to go to the dining area and pulled Miki with him to the door. Sure enough the infamous Mikagami Tokiya was on the other side.

"Hanabishi," he greeted cordially. He was wearing neatly pressed, black, pinstripe trousers and a cerulean blue polo, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the first three buttons loosened, hinting at the chiseled chest inside.

"Hey man, Mikagami, glad you could make it. Hey remember Miki," Recca segue wayed, practically pushing the girl onto him. The man was not subtle. Worse is that Mikagami was rather dense.

He smiled politely. "Of course. I assume you are the old friend Yanagi mentioned on the phone." He extended his hand. The girl took it and started rolling her thumb over his palm.

"I am anything but old, Mikagami-san," she said coquettishly.

Tokiya just smiled. The girl didn't change at all. "Of course you aren't. It was just semantics."

Miki giggled and batted her eyelashes. "Oh, Mikagami-san, still very, very smart I see."

Tokiya tried very hard not to ask her if she was on some sort of medication.

Recca was grinning like a maniac as he watched the two interact. Damn he was a genius. "Hey, why don't we go ahead and join everyone at the dinner table."

Tokiya tugged his hand back from Miki but the girl just latched onto his arm. He wasn't quite sure what was going on so he tried to blink in Morse code at Recca who walked behind them but the seamonkey only gave him a thumbs up. What the fuck was going on here?

As soon as they entered the dining area, he searched for Fuuko and found her sitting beside Domon, glaring daggers at him. Thinking she was upset with him coming in very late and leaving her in the company of the lecherous Domon, he thoughtlessly wriggled away from Miki's hold and went to his girlfriend's side. Before she could say anything he grasped her chin and bent over to place a quick yet very intimate kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry I'm late baby but you know my boss," he apologized sweetly. And lowly, he didn't exactly want anyone to overhear. But then that was kind of impossible since the entire room was focused on them. That's when Tokiya realized that the whole room had stopped breathing.

Tokiya looked up to see that everyone's jaw had dropped to the ground, with the exception of Ganko who was buttering her diner roll like nobody's business and Domon who was grinning at them like a crazy person.

He looked back at Fuuko. "You didn't tell them, did you?"

She scratched the back of her head. "Was I supposed to?"

"Yes! You're a woman, that's what women do, they talk!" he groaned frustrated.

Fuuko threw her hands up in the air. "Mi-chan, you've known me since I was sixteen, I fail as a woman!"

He was about to make a salacious comment about her not failing as a woman last night and just this afternoon but thought better of it.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Recca's outburst suddenly penetrated their little bubble.

Fuuko and Tokiya looked up rather guiltily.

"Did I mention we were together?" Fuuko offered weakly.

Miki chimed in. "Apparently not, Recca said Mikagami-san was very excited to see me again!"

Fuuko gave Tokiya the death glare. The exact one she gave her opponents right before she pummeled them to the ground. Tokiya resisted the urge to cower.

"No, darling, I wasn't, I swear," he placated her immediately, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He turned to Miki, "Not that it was so horrible seeing you, but this was a misunderstanding. I have a girlfriend, and she's right here and…wait, what the hell were you going on about seamonkey?!"

Yanagi turned on her husband. "You dolt, of all the idiotic things to do!"

Recca watched all eyes turn on him. "Er, yeah, I think someone's at the door."

Miki rolled her eyes. "Come on Aki, we're leaving."

"Wait, everyone stop!" Fuuko yelled. Everyone ceased movement at the shrill command. Except one. "Alright Ganko, seriously stop buttering that roll." The young girl grinned cheekily at her sister. Fuuko continued, "Miki, Aki, we're really sorry about the confusion and the fact that Recca's an imbecile but we're all here as friends so why don't we just sit down and enjoy the dinner that Yanagi so painstakingly prepared for us."

"She ordered take out."

"Ganko, that was supposed to be a secret!"

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Fine the dinner that Yanagi so painstakingly ordered from a menu. But the point is, you guys are our friends and we really would love your company for dinner."

Miki smiled at the lone female fighter from Team Hokage. She really was thoroughly embarrassed at the way she acted around Tokiya earlier but she can't deny that she missed these people. They were kin. She looked at her sister who simply nodded. "Okay."

Everyone settled into their seats. Recca sat at the head of the table, on his left was Yanagi; Miki and Aki sat next to her. On Recca's right was Domon. Fuuko sat between Domon and Tokiya and Ganko sat at the opposite end of the table.

Tokiya reached down to hold Fuuko's hand before bringing it up to his lips to place a kiss on the inside of her wrist, right above where her pulse beat.

Recca groaned. "Okay, seriously, stop that kissing shit, it's weirding me out."

…

Fuuko sighed contentedly as she cuddled closer to Tokiya on the couch in her home. After Miki and Aki left, the two of them explained to Recca (who was none too happy that everyone seemed to have an inkling of what was going on but him, at which point Tokiya mentioned it might have something to do with the fact that he was an obtuse jerkwad, and then Recca tried to attack him and then everyone spent about fifteen minutes trying to break the two up) how the enigma of Tokiya and Fuuko as a couple happened.

Of course they gave him an abridged version, leaving out the fuck buddies portion entirely because Recca was still very much overprotective of Fuuko regardless of the fact that she can take care of herself just fine thank you very much, and she didn't want Ganko to hear about her sordid affairs. So they just said there had always been an attraction and they may have tried going out casually before but only recently decided to make it official.

She grinned at the 'big brother' speech Recca gave Tokiya. His words were simple, "Hurt her and I'll kill you, doesn't matter if you're my friend too, she'll always come before you," but she didn't doubt one bit that he'd stick by them.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," Tokiya said.

"Now we just have to tell my Mom and my brother," she said.

"We can invite them to dinner. Just make sure your brother doesn't bring any wench around to set me up with," he said with a pout, "I don't get it, do I look like I can't get a date on my own?"

Fuuko snickered. "Does it matter?"

He looked down at her and kissed her softly. "Yes, because I have a problem with anyone thinking I need anyone other than you."

She blushed. "You definitely can get your own date."

"I know that, but your calendar is the only one that matters to me."

"Don't sweet talk me," she teased.

"Sweet talking is for jerks trying to get random women to their bed, you are anything but random and I know of more effective ways to get you to my bed," he said confidently.

"Then what was that?"

Blue eyes bore into her brown orbs telling her to listen to his words and believe it. "That was me promising you my future."

And Fuuko just had to kiss him then.

…

_I'll stop the world and melt with you_

_To be continued..._

**End Notes:** So, still no concert. Haha. This is turning out to be much longer than I initially planned.

**THANKS FOR READING AND I'LL BE REALLY GRATEFUL IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO DIE IN A FIRE IN WHICH CASE YOU CAN GO. **


	13. Love Is A Battlefield

**Disclaimer: **FoR and its characters are not mine. Chapter title "Love is a Battlefield" is by Pat Benatar.

**Author's Notes:** I like this. Hope you like it too. And hopefully I'll get a better response to this one than I did in the last few chapters. No smut in this chapter, but will be loading a separate one on my Y!Group. Because when you read the last part, you know it needs smut. 

**Thank you notes:** Thanks to my reviewers, I tried to message everyone a personal thank you but then life got in the way. So, in reverse order, hehe, **me**, **malo** (see, I've dropping hints of that all over and you're the first one who said anything), **cabbage for the people** (I'm trying to improve my updating skills), **Nils** (I've always thought Recca and Fuuko were the best of friends, it just felt right for him to say that), **mikaro** (yes, I can imagine...hee), **SnowCharms** (it was funnier if he were, at that moment anyway hehe), **kyusetsuki satsuki** (he so is), **asianpearl**, khay, aki reinhart (I think I emailed you about this, but yeah, still not sure if I should bring Raiha, he'll just cause unnecessary chaos I think so I am leaning against no),** Eirist, BLUMENTRIT, MeaLoaf, satomika and skysenshi.**

**Promotions: **Join my Y!Group ToFuu Flavored Lemon. Link can be found on my profile page. It is where I store uncensored versions of the chapters as well as other planned future smut.

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Love is a Battlefield**

"Fuuko, what are you doing here?" 

Tokiya blinked several times feeling disoriented and for a couple of seconds he struggled to remember where he was. His head spun a bit but he did manage to recognize that he was inside Takashi's old room, his room for the last two weeks and three days. It was still dark, he remembered going to bed around ten at night. His head peered over the wild purple hair blocking his line of vision and focused on the digital clock by the night table. It was ten past two. The woman in his arms, and no he did not remember her being there earlier, shifted at his movements.

"Mi-chan, go back to sleep," she muttered as she buried her head in his chest.

"And I ask you again, what're you doing here?" he asked.

Fuuko looked up at him with sleepy eyes and pouted. "You don't want me here?" she asked saucily as one hand snuck inside her shirt and rubbed his stomach.

Tokiya panicked and pushed her hand away. "Fuuko, your mother is right next door!"

She snickered. "Never stopped you before."

"Well it's different now that she knows," he said, keeping his voice low, eyes alertly glancing towards the door every now and then as if afraid of being caught.

Just last night Tokiya and Fuuko decided to tell her family about the change in their relationship with as little event as possible. Along with Ganko and Mrs. Kirisawa, they had dinner at Fuuko's brother's home. After supper Tokiya and Takashi took to the small library. It was a simple conversation, Tokiya told Takashi that he and his sister have decided to escalate their relationship to the next level and Takashi said he'd felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. It was perhaps because of having a sister who could've beaten everyone and their fathers to a pulp with one hand tied behind her back, but Takashi didn't feel the need to threaten Tokiya bodily harm should he hurt his sister. He was pretty sure Fuuko could do that herself.

Fuuko had a harder time with her mother and sister-in-law, Ayame. There was a lot of squealing and questions that she'd really rather not answer. No matter how much her outside appearance changed she will always be a bit of a tomboy who found girl talk icky. Thankfully her brother and Tokiya entered the room in a short moment. At Tokiya's questioning gaze, she nodded and he swiftly walked to her side and kissed her forehead. Much to her mother and Ayame's delight, apparently, since they squealed so much Fuuko was afraid they were going start pissing Coke.

"We're just sleeping," she said patiently trying to hide her amusement at the fact that Tokiya was acting like guilty teenager. And just to frazzle his nerves more, she added, "Besides she only asked that we don't have sex under her roof, some feng shui bullshit or something."

Even in the darkened room Fuuko could see the whites of Tokiya's eyes almost engulf his blue irises. "She knows we're having sex!" he said in a whispered scream.

"Chillax babe, she's okay with it, she just asked us not to do it in her home since we were apparently too loud," she said glibly.

Tokiya swore his heart stopped beating for a minute as he began to hyperventilate. "Well, your mother's definitely getting her way because I don't think I can ever get _it_ up in this house."

Fuuko's raucous laughter tore through his consciousness and he couldn't help but be ensnared by the lightness she seemed to emanate. He lightly smacked her full bottom but that only made her laugh more.

"This is serious business here, Fuuko. Knowing your mother is aware of the more intimate details of our relationship is rather distressing," he tried to say severely but could not keep the hidden grin in his voice.

"Oh shut up," she said, lightly slapping his chest, "it's like you've never met a girlfriend's parents before."

His face turned serious. "I have never met a girlfriend's parents before."

She couldn't help the light gasp that followed his revelation. "Really?"

He just shrugged. "We've been living together for years, surely you've noticed I rarely let a girlfriend sleep over much less meet the people responsible for spawning them."

She gazed at him bemusedly. "It's just odd, I suppose. I mean you're thirty two, I just thought at some time you'd have gotten to that point, you know."

Tokiya cupped her chin and placed a tender kiss on her nose. "I've had flings, Fuuko. You're my first serious relationship, or haven't you noticed?"

She shook her head.

"Damn, woman, are you dense or what? Have you ever seen me make this much of an effort for anyone else? I'm in this for good," he said, feeling rather agitated.

She only grinned. "I did actually notice that, I just like hearing you say it out loud."

He pinched her side. "Manipulative onna."

"Your manipulative onna," she teased.

"Yes, all mine," he growled possessively before pulling her face up to his and smashing their lips together in a frenzied kiss. He teased her lower lip, nibbling it between his teeth before licking it gently with his tongue. 

"Baby?" he breathed easily.

"Hmm," she managed to churn out as she busied herself with sucking that spot underneath his jaw that drove him crazy.

"I lied, I'm not completely incapable of getting it up your mother's house," he groaned. 

Fuuko laughed again before he completely shushed her mouth with his lips.

* * *

Sweat dripped down his brow, barely contained by his thick lashes that protected blue grey eyes. His heart was beating violently against his ribcage, the muscles of his calves starting to feel gelatinous from absolute exertion in combination with the unrelenting pain on his stitches was starting to get to him, but he refused to lose to an overgrown ape like Domon. There are just some things in life you can't outgrow.

"Goal!" Tokiya yelled, voice raspy and out of breath as he rounded the shoulder where they started roughly an hour ago.

"This isn't soccer," Domon said, coming up a few feet after Tokiya, even more breathless than the former Ensui master, sweating like a pig and sitting on his haunches looking like he fell somewhere in the middle of Darwin's evolution of man chart.

Tokiya turned to him, arms akimbo and said haughtily, "Whatever, I still beat your ass gorilla."

Domon just rolled his eyes, preferring to intake a breath of much needed oxygen rather than throw a half hearted comeback. 

They had started jogging together every morning at five about a week ago. Domon usually did jog as part of his training for his job as a professional wrestler. Tokiya meanwhile decided to start working out ever since Fuuko made a joke about how he's starting to gain some meat around his lovehandles. Not that he thought Fuuko would drop him if he ever grew fat, but he kind of felt the need to keep up with his effortlessly sexy girlfriend. He didn't know how the woman did it, girl never stepped inside a gym all her life and not even Kami can tear her away from a rib eye steak yet with that body of hers, she can give a Adriana Lima a run for her money. 

The accountant took out the plastic water bottle from the strap of his utility belt and downed half the contents in one swig. He ran through some stretching exercises before settling on the grass next to Domon.

"We must be getting old if a ten-mile run like that gets us this knackered," Tokiya admitted shamelessly to his former comrade.

Domon shook his head. "It's not like we had need for much of a workout in the past few years."

Tokiya snickered. "Tell me about it, I fucking sit on a desk all day and count numbers for a living."

They shared a nostalgic air, each thinking of his own life, yet the thoughts were the same. Whoever knew it would all end up like this?

"Man," Domon broke the silence, "if anyone ever told me fifteen years ago that you and Fuuko'll end up together I'd probably have them sent to the crazy house."

Tokiya only smirked; he would probably have done the same.

"So, how's life with the ol' ball and chain?" the wrestler asked jokingly.

"We're good. She's been rather pre-occupied with the project for the orphanage." _And completely neglecting me,_ Tokiya wanted to add but it was a whiny sentiment and Mikagami Tokiya was anything but whiny…at least not to the general public. He was just not used to not having her complete attention at all times, when they were in Tokyo it was always just her and him, the rest were just casual friends and acquaintances. Here she had her family, her friends and now this project that took all her time. The last time they'd been intimate was a week ago on their first date. Ironically, they had even less quality time together now that they were out in the open as opposed to when they were hiding from the rest of the world.

"When's the concert again?" Domon asked, probably for the fifty-seventh time. Hey, he wasn't known for his smarts.

"December 27th. That should be right; you won't be leaving until two days before the New Year's, right?" Tokiya asked. 

"Yeah, I'll make it," he said, "So what do you want to do today? And before you ask I'm not going to some fucking museum, you fucking pansy."

Tokiya looked halfway between embarrassed and incensed. "Just because I have a finer taste in entertainment does not make me a pansy. So that means no, I am not joining you at another strip joint, you fucking lecher."

"You gotta admit you enjoyed that."

Tokiya gave him an arrogant smirk. "Why would I enjoy watching drugged up strippers when I have Fuuko at home?"

Now that shut Domon up, because even if he didn't have anymore lingering feelings for his childhood friend, but if he were in Tokiya's shoes, he seriously wouldn't think twice about entering any girly bars if he had her; because 1.) She was more than enough woman for one man and b.) Woman would probably dismember him and then make him clean up the mess.

"You got me there. So what do you wanna do?"

"I was actually thinking of surprising Fuuko with lunch, she's at the concert's site today. You know that open arena near our old high school?"

Domon nodded.

"They're holding it there."

Domon just gawked at him.

"What?"

"You're bringing her lunch?"

Tokiya suddenly got rather self-conscious at Domon's intent stare.

"Yes…"

"Man, you're fucking whipped."

Tokiya reddened. "I am not whipped, I am just considerate, don't tell me you've never done sweet shit like that for a girlfriend?"

Domon cackled. "No."

"And that's why Fuuko's with me not you." _Got you there again, buddy,_ he thought as he watched the almost imperceptible scowl on Domon's face. It was childish, but damn if he didn't enjoy dangling that fact in front of his reluctant friend. 

"Arrogant bastard," Domon cursed with a snort.

"Yeah, yeah, you coming or what? The kids are rehearsing today, they're amazing. It'll definitely be worth the trip," Tokiya said as he stood up.

"Sure, pick me up at eleven, my car's in the shop," Domon said.

"Your car's always in the shop," Tokiya grunted.

"Whatever dude, just pick me up."

Tokiya snorted out a 'freeloader' before turning on his heels on light paced jog down the road without a word of goodbye, because he and Domon weren't the kind of friends that exchanged pleasantries, and he preferred it that way.

* * *

Outside, an impenetrable calm enveloped him like an ice storm, but inside Tokiya was seething. Now he knew what they meant when they say someone saw red. Or more appropriately green.

There she was, standing in the middle of the stage in her pencil skirt and heels, a clipboard in one hand and her blackberry on the other looking a little too happy to be talking to a certain ex-boyfriend, wearing his trademark leather jacket, apparently undaunted by the blistering heat, that made his blood boil.

"Chill, man, she told you it's all business," Domon said, trying to calm the former Ensui master beside him who was looking a little too stiff for comfort.

"Sure."

With powerful legs Tokiya walked up the stone steps leading to the stage looking like a man on a mission. Domon followed shortly behind him, balancing a basket of Ganko's homemade cooking in one hand. Ken looked up and his face scrunched up as if he'd been force fed a bitter gourd smoothie at the sight of the man he'd spent a lot of time being jealous of when he and Fuuko were going out. Fuuko turned around, having a good idea what could be causing Ken's sudden change in demeanor. 

"Mi-chan," she greeted, her face lighting up immediately, her joy so infectious that Tokiya almost forgot about his earlier anger, but then one look at Ken and it all came rushing back. Damn it, it was supposed to be business, business did not involve giggling.

Tokiya purposefully strode to his girlfriend's side before pulling her up against him. He needed to do this, he knew she'd probably get mad at him but she'll get over it, he just needed to establish their relationship in front of him, needed to show him where they stood. The one man that he honestly thought always had a hold on Fuuko's heart.

"Baby," he whispered in greeting as he grabbed her chin and crushed his lips on hers in a kiss that was much too heated for broad daylight and around innocent young children. Much to his satisfaction Fuuko did not pull away as he deepened the kiss, drawing out her tongue inside his mouth and sucking on the sweet appendage until he felt the deep moan in her throat. He relinquished his hold on her tasty mouth, nibbled her lower lip a little before finally pulling away.

"Kosuke," he greeted the other man with a smirk as Fuuko still reeled from after effects of being kissed senseless.

Ken gave him a painfully fake smile, unable to stop the bit of pain and longing he felt in his chest after watching that display. "So you finally gave you lapdog the time of day, ne, Fuuko?" he said, addressing the purple-haired woman but not looking away from Tokiya's intense glare.

"Better a lapdog than an abusive and illiterate junkie," Tokiya returned evenly.

"Guys, don't start," Fuuko said warily, not wanting to cause a scene and knowing that while Tokiya was unremittingly collected, it took little to set Ken's temper to flare.

"Hey, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" Ken growled, stepping up menacingly but much to his dismay Tokiya didn't even flinch.

Fuuko merely rolled her eyes to the heavens and muttered under her breath about stupid men and their egos.

"There are children around, if you don't stop this I swear to Kami I will drag you both down," she said warningly, voice low yet clear, "Mi-chan, you know I can do it."

Tokiya stepped back immediately.

"Fucking pussy," Ken teased maliciously.

"Shows how much you know her," Tokiya returned with an unaffected manner. It made him feel better to know that Kosuke will never be privy to Fuuko's past as a formidable underground fighter.

Fuuko clucked her tongue. "You know what, why don't you two continue your pissing contest, and you mister," she said pointedly at Tokiya, "can come to me when you've grown up." Her words brooked no argument and she walked away, heels clacking loudly against the hollow wooden floor.

It took Tokiya a moment to get his bearings back before he followed the girl towards where she disappeared. And that left Domon, not sure exactly what to do. Well, he still had a basket full of Ganko's food, and damn girl can cook. So he settled on an empty bench in the front row of the arena and watched the free entertainment and chowed down the free food. All in all, it was a good day.

…

Fuuko continued down the hall backstage, very glad that it was bare of people at the moment as she didn't think she had it in her to feign politeness. She was very much aware that Tokiya was hot on her heels but she just did not want to talk to him right now so she ignored him.

She walked into an empty dressing room at the end of the hall that she was currently using as her temporary office. It was mostly bare save for the requisite vanity on one side, a couch and a square table with her laptop and an all in one printer and fax machine. She shut the door loudly as a message to Tokiya that she did not want to see him. Not that he got the message.

"What the fuck was that?" he bellowed as soon as he stepped inside the room. He banged the door closed just as loudly as she had.

"Excuse me? You have no right to be asking questions right now, what the hell is wrong with you Mi-chan? You're acting like a kid dangling his toy in front of his rival!" she yelled at him, walking around the couch to create distance between them as if afraid she might strangle him if he got any nearer.

"I did no such thing!"

"Oh yeah? Then tell me what that kiss was about!"

"There's nothing wrong with kissing my girlfriend!"

"There is if you're only doing it to stake a claim as if I were a piece of meat!"

"It's not like that!"

"Then tell me what it's like!"

"I just wanted to show Ken where we stood so he doesn't get any ideas!" he screamed.

Fuuko threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Oh god, how many times do I have to tell you this! Nothing is and will ever be going on between me and Ken, it's over and he's married for crying out loud!"

He snorted unkindly. "As if that ever stopped people before." _Shit, that was the wrong thing to say._

Fuuko's breath was caught in her throat. "Are you questioning my morals? Do you actually think that I would cheat on you much worse with a married man? Don't you trust me?"

Tokiya bit his lip, knowing that he went too far with his last words. "I trust you, Fuuko, I just don't trust him."

She let out a sardonic laugh, placing her hands on her hips as she turned where she stood as if unsure where she wanted to go. "That's a bunch of bullshit, what do you think he's going to do? Force himself on me? Ken's a lot of things but he's not rapist and besides you've seen me bring down men four times my size wearing Hannibal Lecter masks, you honestly think I can't take care of myself?"

Tokiya wanted to grab his hair and scream except that was just undignified. "That's not what I meant! You just don't get it!"

"Then explain it to me!" she said, half in plea, half in demand, just wanting this conversation to end.

"You'll never get it because I don't have anything in my past that compares with what you had with Kosuke!" he continued in his fuming tone, much too stymied to attempt to be calm.

"Well yeah, if you mean I won't act like a jealous idiot around your ex-girlfriends, well you're right!"

"You stupid woman, you don't get it. You loved Kosuke, you fucking wanted to marry him, how do you think it makes me feel to see you getting so chummy with that asshole! You wouldn't know because I've never had that with anyone, I've never loved anyone before you!" he bellowed.

Fuuko's eyes widened. "Did you just tell me you love me?" still screaming for some reason, maybe because they've been screaming at each other for a while now and it was kind of hard to stop.

"Yeah!" he answered unthinkingly.

"Well I love you too!" she screamed at him.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Tokiya suddenly turned on his heels and walked out the door.

Fuuko stood there in shock, trying to recall the last parts of their conversation and wondering if just imagined the entire thing, perhaps she was suffering heat stroke. And not a second too soon the door opened again revealing a flustered and rather confused Tokiya.

"Did we just--" he asked, unable to believe what they had admitted in the middle of a heated argument.

"Yeah."

"Do you mean it?"

Fuuko wanted to lie, afraid that he might not have been aware of what he was saying but then she didn't think she'd have the guts to say it out loud again if she didn't do it now. "Yes."

Tokiya gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen on his face. "I meant it too."

_To be continued..._

**End Notes:** You know that end part is begging for a lemon...and I will do it, will be released next week on my Y!Group separately. Also I love the idea of Domon and Tokiya as this kind of close knit reluctant best friends. Hehe. The next chapter. I swear to God, the concert. And Christmas shopping. And Christmas.

**THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW!**


	14. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

**Disclaimer: **FoR is not mine. Chapter title "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is by Tears for Fears.

**Author's Notes: So **sorry for the long delay, as apology I come back with an extra long chapter. Thanks so much to all my reviewers! In reverse order: **me** (I have no plans to abandon this fanfic, have faith in me!) **skysenshi** (I have the lemon in my head but just can't get down to write it, urgh) **Snowcharms** (it is!) **Mrs Hatake Itachi** (not so soon, sorry) **Nils** (hee, couldn't picture it any other way) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (thanks!) **tofu** (bows) **malo** (I'm still torn between pushing through with the angst or just ending it soon, I'm not sure if I could bring myself to break them up) **khay** (I always thought the two of them connected more amicably than anyone else in the group, so it made sense to me, heh) **BLUEMENTRIT** (thanks!) **aki reinhart** (aw, last part was my favorite to write so glad you liked it) **abubi-chan** (sorry darling for the delay! Hope you enjoy this chapter) **satomika** (thank you!) **justxsleep** (glad you liked how that panned out, it was my favorite to write) **Eirist** (you can do that, as long as you promise me I never have to work and feed me Starbucks all day, LOL). No betas all mistakes are mine, hope you enjoy the chapter!

**WARNING:** There is some R-rated content on this chapter, though nothing you haven't seen on Gossip Girl. Again, the uncut version of this fic can be found on my Y!Group ToFuu Flavored Lemon. Link found on my profile page.

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND A REVIEW WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Everybody Wants To Rule The World**

Fuuko cocked her head sideways and glared at the world's worst partner in crime as she let out another high pitched giggle.

"Yanagi, tone it down a bit, will ya?" she whispered threateningly.

The married woman forced down another giddy squeal at her best friend's words but couldn't erase the Grinch-like grin on her face. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I can't believe we're doing this, it's so cool!"

"We're just borrowing Mi-chan's car, it's no big deal," she said as if it was Tokiya letting her drive was an everyday occurrence.

Fuuko could practically feel Yanagi roll her eyes at her. "We're stealing it, Coco," Yanagi corrected, using the nickname they gave each other in college, "But whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Shut up, Gigi," Fuuko chided, returning the nickname favor, and turned her head back to stick her tongue out at her once college roommate.

Fuuko reached the driver's side and as quietly as possible took out the keys she snatched from Tokiya's room earlier in the day from inside her purse. She got in and opened the door to the passenger's side. Yanagi quickly settled in.

"I can't believe I'm actually getting into a car you're driving," Yanagi said, looking slightly haunted.

"I'm not that bad!" Fuuko defended.

"Tell that to the fire hydrants and garbage cans and Tokiya's assistant's left foot," Yanagi returned.

"That was one time!"

"Whatever."

"And she was a lousy assistant anyway," Fuuko reasoned as she put the key into the ignition. She held a breath as the growling noise of the startup expelled into the quiet night hoping that it wasn't enough to wake the people upstairs.

And it wasn't her lucky day. Just a second after the engine calmed down to a hum, the lights in Tokiya's room blinked on. Fuuko quickly put the car on reverse and began backing out of the garage, just as she was about to pull away Tokiya came bounding out of the front door, in nothing but his black Dolce and Gabbana boxer briefs and white socks, long silver hair in a messy ponytail, face halfway between confused and indignant.

Fuuko pressed the down button for the power window on Yanagi's side. She climbed over her friend's lap and stuck her head out the open window. "Thanks for the car baby, I'll see you tomorrow!" she yelled out sweetly.

Yanagi couldn't stop ogling the man stripped down to his necessities in front of her. Fully clothed, the man was gorgeous but practically naked he was sex on legs. She turned to her purple haired friend who had just given her still rather befuddled and completely speechless boyfriend a flying kiss before settling back to her driving position and said rather breathlessly, "You lucky girl."

Fuuko threw her head back and laughed as she stepped on the gas; the look on Yanagi's face was something she'd seen before, way too many times before. "I know, right?"

* * *

The cicadas were shamed into silence at Yanagi's loud and exaggeratedly extended squeal, followed by an "Oh my god!" and punctuated by the squeezing of a blue and green paper cup that threatened to spill out some pink slurpee.

Fuuko winced at her friend's outburst. "Yanagi, careful! Tokiya's going to kill me if he finds stains on the car seat!" she warned as she reached out and straightened her friend's hand, preventing a slurpee disaster.

Parked atop the cliff overlooking the midnight lights of Nashikiri, the two women were sitting facing each other in the backseat of the car, backs leaning against the windows, each nursing their choice of drinks from 7-eleven; a slurpee for Yanagi and Dr. Pepper for Fuuko. This was their hangout spot as teenagers, a couple of ways away from where Recca liked to set up his fireworks for their entertainment.

Yanagi giggled and said in a trifling manner, "Oh he won't kill you, he loves you."

Fuuko couldn't stop the incarnadine stain rising on her cheeks at the married woman's teasing. "Shut up."

"Oh my God, I can't believe it, he finally said he loves you," Yanagi said dreamily.

Fuuko played with the bendy straw of her soda. "He didn't exactly say it, more like implied it and then I had to ask if that's what he meant to which he said yes then I said I loved him back and then he walked out of the room and went back in and confirmed what I said and managed to assure me he loved me by never saying any of the words, and then we had amazing sex in front of the mirror because that's Tokiya's idea of celebrating our love."

Yanagi choked on her pink drink, the shredded ice getting stuck inside the muscles of her throat. "Oh god, too much information."

Fuuko rolled her eyes at Yanagi's prudish reaction. "Oh come on, we used to talk about stuff like this all the time in college."

Yanagi cleared her throat and said, "Um no, you talked about it while I impersonated a tomato."

"Seriously, you're married," Fuuko said, mouth hanging disbelievingly.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'd feel comfortable talking about the goings on behind the bedroom doors," the brown eyed girl answered demurely, her knees knocking together like a scared little girl.

"You sound like my grandmother."

"Oh hush."

"There you go again!"

Yanagi chose to cross her arms over her chest and sulk, not trusting herself to say anything that would not be construed as octogenarian.

Fuuko playfully punched her friend's arm. "I'm just kidding, Yanagi-chan."

"You're so mean," Yanagi returned childishly but Fuuko knew her friend was not seriously affected by her teasing.

The former master of the Fuujin only threw her head back with a gleeful laugh, thinking the healer looked so absolutely adorable flushed as she was. "Come to think of it, you have never told me any naughty stories about you and Recca."

"Fuuko!"

"Come on, just tell me about your first time," Fuuko persisted, leaning closer to Yanagi as if eager to hear some really nice dish.

"No way," Yanagi stayed steadfast even as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"It was that bad, wasn't it?" Fuuko said in a mockingly somber tone, trying to imitate the constipated expression of her college guidance counselor's face.

"No!" Yanagi blurted and then after a second started laughing madly at a joke inside here head. "Okay, maybe it was."

"What happened?" Fuuko goaded, not wanting to miss the chance to hear something very personal about Yanagi, she was never the type to air out her laundry even if it was just between two girlfriends who've known each other since their teens.

"Well, it was my twenty-fourth birthday," Yanagi started.

"Oh my God, you waited that long?"

"Do you mind? I'm telling a very personal story here."

"Sorry, do continue," Fuuko said sheepishly.

"Anyway, I was twenty-four and he had this whole romantic dinner set up for me at the cliff, right up here. And then we went to his house, his Mom and Dad were away on business, although I think they were just trying to help him finally lose his virginity to be honest. And well, we ended up in his room and there were candles and rose petals and he was being uncharacteristically articulate," she said, giggling a little at the memory of her then boyfriend telling her that he'd fallen in love with her the moment he'd seen her beautiful brown eyes.

"How…un-Recca like," Fuuko thought out loud, remembering the strident boy who attacked her with ninja traps left and right.

"I know! Anyway, things were going pretty good, I mean Recca is a fantastic kisser--"

"Oh Kami, don't tell me you never even let the guy get to second before that," Fuuko said with a cringe.

"Hey!"

"Poor boy."

"Shut up or I'm not finishing the story," Yanagi threatened.

"Go on, go on," Fuuko immediately appeased.

"Well, let's just say it was short and well, I wasn't very…happy, when we finished," Yanagi said, making sure to pick words that wouldn't offend Dora the Explorer's senses. Fuuko would've thought it sounded a little depressing were it not for the snorting giggles of her best friend.

"How is that funny?"

"Well, he started crying," Yanagi managed to snort out through her nose.

Fuuko's eyes widened. "No!"

"It was so funny! We were sitting there naked and I just lost my virginity and he started crying and I actually had to comfort him and give him milk so he'd stop!"

Fuuko slapped her hand over her mouth attempting to be a bit more sympathetic to her ninja friend but finding herself unable to. "The great flame caster reduced to tears because he couldn't bring his girlfriend to orgasm."

"But he did make it up the next time, he's nothing if not determined," Yanagi said with a soft smile. "And I can't help but love him more knowing that he really did wait for me…not a lot of guys would."

"As if there was a doubt, you've always been the only one for Recca," Fuuko said.

"And it never even crossed my mind that I could ever love anyone else," Yanagi affirmed.

Fuuko grabbed her purse from the backseat and opened the door to the driver's side. "I need a smoke after that uber hot sex story you told me," she answered at Yanagi's questioning look before stepping out and leaning against the hood of the car. She had already lit up by the time Yanagi settled beside her.

"You should really stop smoking. It's bad for you," the brunette advised with that docile approach of hers.

"I tried before, I can't. I think I'll stop smoking only when I'm pregnant or something," Fuuko answered without hesitation, letting a puff of smoke escape her lips at her final words.

"Well with all the 'amazing sex' you're having, what makes you think you're not pregnant now?" Yanagi shot back with a hint of sarcasm because she was Sakoshita Yanagi and the girl was completely incapable of full sarcasm.

Fuuko just waved off her friend's concern with a snort. "Yanagi, I'm not some stupid teenager who doesn't know how to take care of her shit."

"Pill?" Yanagi asked.

"Nah, too tedious. And I have the memory of a duck so half the time I forget to take a pill. I get shots, only have to remember to go on the tenth of every third month and I'm done," Fuuko said.

"Are those any good? Side effect wise, I mean. I heard they made you lose…" Yanagi started to blush, not quite comfortable with voicing out the fact that she's a bit concerned about diminishing sex drives.

"For some women, yeah. But Mi-chan's the perfect's antidote for that," Fuuko said with a giggle.

Yanagi couldn't help but laugh along with her friend. "I was thinking of making the switch, but then Recca and I have been talking about children lately so it might not even matter."

Fuuko beamed at her friend's news. "Oh I'm so excited for you! You'd make an excellent mom, you know. Kids love you."

"Well, nothing's been final. But hopefully next year you'll be meeting a little Yanagi or Recca," Yanagi said wistfully, eyes reflecting pure bliss. "Anyway," she started, changing the subject, "if you need to go to a doctor for the shot I can recommend my OB. She's really sweet, and needs the business."

"It's alright, I went for my shot last September, so I can just go see my regular OB in January," Fuuko said nonchalantly.

There was a heavy pause before Yanagi carefully voiced out her quick math, "Fuuko, that'd be the fourth month."

Fuuko's eyes widened before going into a steadily rising panic in her mind. "No, that's just the third, I mean," she raised a hand and used her fingers to count loudly, "October, November…"

A pin drop could've been heard at the sudden silence between them; even the chirping cicadas seemed to have held their breath in suspense.

"Oh, crap!"

"Fuuko, breathe," Yanagi advised as she watched her friend's face turn violet at her sudden seeming inability to take in air.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" Fuuko muttered endlessly as she took another puff of smoke. Yanagi immediately snatched the cancer stick from between her mouth and threw it to the ground.

"Hey!"

"You could be pregnant!"

"Stop saying that!"

All her life Yanagi had never seen Fuuko this scared with her knees literally knocking and if her friend didn't look so absolutely terrified she would have laughed out loud. "Oh my god, what am I going to tell Mi-chan? Yanagi what am I going to do?"

Yanagi stepped in front of Fuuko and placed one hand on her shoulder and the other held Fuuko's chin and lifted her face to hers. "Relax, Fuuko, think for a second. We're still not sure you're actually pregnant. I'm sure shots don't wear off that easily."

Fuuko nodded, looking every inch like a juvenile in trouble. "My doctor said that it sometimes takes like a year or something to wear off but some become fertile immediately…I didn't really get the statistics straight," she said shakily, eyes rolling to the side as she tried to remember all the jumbled words of information from her doctor and the pamphlet about her chosen birth control method.

Yanagi squeezed Fuuko's arm as she encouraged the girl to breathe. "But there's still a good chance you're not pregnant," she tried to say positively, keeping the hope up in the other woman's eyes, "When's your next cycle?"

Fuuko clenched and unclenched her fists as she tried to recall the contents of her day planner, trying to remember the date encircled in a red marker. "Next week, I think, twenty seventh or twenty eighth," she finally answered.

"So there's no reason to panic," yet, Yanagi mentally added, figuring it wouldn't exactly help with Fuuko's nerves, "we just have to wait, if you're late we'll take a pregnancy test and we'll see where to go from there."

"Yanagi, what if I am pregnant? What's Mi-chan going to do?" Fuuko said in a small voice, the catch in her throat telling Yanagi that the purple haired woman was close to tears.

"Well, I don't know him that well these days but what I do know of him is that he loves you and he always does the right thing," Yanagi assured.

"I just, I don't want him to feel trapped," Fuuko tried to explain.

"You're thinking too far ahead girly," Yanagi said. She reached up and tucked a stray hair behind Fuuko's ear before enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Yanagi," Fuuko whispered from the crook of her best friend's neck, "Just, don't tell him or anyone anything yet. I just want to be sure first before talking to him, okay?"

Yanagi only squeezed her tighter before whispering a promise.

* * *

Fuuko carried heavy legs up the wooden rungs of her childhood home not caring about the ruckus her Jimmy Choo heels made. Her family was heavy sleepers; nothing short of an atomic bomb could've woken them up. She reached her door and gave the knob a tired tug before slipping inside and kicking the door closed with a sharp heel. Her first thought was to dive into her sheets and give her eyes a rest but that would have to wait when she was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Tokiya, wrapped up in her pink comforter; despite feeling as if all of her energy had gone kaput, she managed a wan smile on her face at the sight. She kicked off her shoes and left them where she was standing. She walked towards the small vanity set, made of synthetic wood, painted blue and covered with star shaped neon stickers, a gift from her father when she was eleven, a year before he died. She took of her earrings and watch and placed them inside a small jewelry pouch. She stared at the picture she made on the mirror, raccoon eyes reflecting hours of tears but she could pass it off as lack of sleep, hair she'd curled last night was now falling limp on her shoulders, lips chapped and pale. She sighed and hoped Tokiya wouldn't notice anything. She noticed a movement behind her and raised her eyes to meet with deep blue-grays through the mirror.

"Morning," she said.

"Is my car still alive?" he asked. It was never like him to dance around matters.

"There may be a scratch on the passenger door," she said, grinning at him apologetically.

Tokiya groaned into the pillow.

"I'll pay for it, I'm sorry," she acquiesced.

"Can't do anything about that now, can I? Just come to bed, I'm tired," he said with a resigned tone.

Fuuko exhaled heavily, glad he wasn't mad. Tokiya was very, very protective of his car. She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped out of her shirt and threw her dirty clothes on the open hamper beside her vanity. Tokiya scooted closer to the wall to make room for her on the bed and she slipped under the covers. As soon as she was in, he unclasped her bra and slipped it off her arms before throwing it on the floor haphazardly, leaving her in just her panties. He spooned her, their legs twined together, his arms wrapped around her waist and face buried in her hair.

"You kept me up half the night, you know?" he scolded and pinched her side for emphasis.

"It was just a scratch, Mi-chan," she said exasperatedly.

He nipped her ear none too gently and she frowned.

"I wasn't worried about the car," he corrected.

"Really now?"

She could feel his amused grin on her hair. "Alright, maybe I was a bit worried about the car. But I was a lot more worried about you."

"Mm-hmm," she said, rolling her eyes disbelievingly.

He slapped her bottom at her tone. "Give me a bit more credit. That was just my car, but," he paused as he turned her so she was laying on her back before climbing on top of her, "you're," he kissed the side of her neck, "my," he licked tip of her nose, "baby." And he closed in on her lips giving her a lazy kiss.

Fuuko couldn't help the girlish giggle from bubbling out of her mouth but he only kissed it away, suppressing all her senses until all she was aware of was the pressure of his weight on top of her as their mouths made love.

"You're such a flirt," she breathed into his probing lips.

"Shut up, I'm kissing you," he reprimanded and molded their lips together so that she would have room to talk.

It surprised her sometimes just how affectionate he can be but then she remembered his little stories of his sister Mifuyu and he always sounded like such a sweet little boy. Maybe he had always been but felt the need to repress that urge for such a long time because he thought it was the only way he could get strong, the only way to exact revenge, the only way he could go on in life. But now, here in her arms he was letting it all out and she was glad to be on the receiving end of his warm attentions.

Tokiya bit her bottom lip rougher than he intended and she yelped. "Ow!"

"You were distracted," he said with a pout.

Fuuko smiled at the face he made. "I'm just tired."

He shrugged it off, he was tired too, and as much as he loved kissing her he really needed to sleep. "I guess I am too." He slid off her and spooned her against him once more, hands wrapping tightly around her waist, gathering her shoulder length hair in his hand and pushing it above her head so it wouldn't get up in his nose.

"Mi-chan," she whispered in the night

"Mmm," he replied so lowly she wouldn't have been able to tell had it not been for that heavier gush of warm breath she felt against her skin where his head rested.

"I love you," she said. And it hit her then, just how much. This was it. He was it for her. If it didn't work out with him, it could never work out with anyone else. It was an all encompassing love that she never believed could have existed, that she never thought a callous tomboy like her could ever feel. She wondered if he knew that he was holding in his hand all of her heart, it would be so easy for him close his fist over it and crush it…

"I love you more." A wet kiss against her nape, he once said it was his favorite part of her body.

And as much as he believed his words, Fuuko couldn't bring herself to trust it.

* * *

"Oh wow, you really are a moron," Tokiya deadpanned as he stood in front of La Perla looking at his comrade and once rival as if he had just told him the world was really flat.

"What?" Recca said in a completely ignorant manner.

"You can't buy your wife lingerie for her Christmas present, you bloody idiot," Tokiya explained, sounding almost bored.

"It's expensive lingerie," he tried to reason.

"How the hell did you ever get Yanagi to marry you?" the Ensui master said, staring at Recca with morbid fascination.

"I happen to be a very thoughtful husband," Recca defended with a sulk.

Tokiya sighed and realized he had to spell it out for the monkey. To be fair, Recca wasn't exactly as worldly as he was, a complete amateur in the subject of women having only ever been with one and he felt it was his duty (connoisseur that he was) to school him a bit. "Look, I'm not averse to giving a woman lingerie as present, in fact I've given Fuuko several very…nice ones," he ended with a rather lecherous smirk that he couldn't control, especially since he had hot little red lace boy shorts, that would go very well with her pert little bum, buried deep inside a shopping bag that he'd snagged earlier before he'd met with the guys.

"Mmm," their third companion unconsciously let out as blood trickled down his nose.

Tokiya backhanded the side of Domon's head. "Don't fantasize about my girlfriend!" He turned back to Recca who seemed absolutely focused on his little lecture. "What I'm saying is that when I give it to her she and I both know that it's actually a present I'm giving myself, because seriously, what's she going to do with bejeweled knickers? You can give it to her when it's your birthday or when you're going on a romantic getaway, maybe as a side present on your anniversary but you have to make sure you have major gift that's all about her. You don't give it to her for Christmas. You get it now?" He restrained himself from ending it with a 'you dumb shit' because that sounded like something Domon would say.

"Uh, yeah," Recca said as if he now just realized why Yanagi gave him dirty looks all night when he had given her a skimpy nightie on their first month of marriage. "But what would I give her?"

Tokiya snorted, "How the hell should I know? She's your wife."

Domon walked ahead a bit and led them towards the show window of an electronics store where they drooled over the latest PSP. "Well what're you planning to give Fuuko?"

"I got her that Burberry bag she'd been salivating over since last June," Tokiya said, wincing a bit when reminded of the hole it burned in his pocket. Although he didn't tell them about his other present, one that cost him nothing but meant more to him and hopefully would to her. That present was only going to be between the two of them.

"Ouch, that must've cost an arm and a leg," Domon commented, remembering the fancy women in business suits whom he met from time to time during contract signings and their talks of designer labels, he didn't understand why slapping a symbol on a bag would make the price of it skyrocket, or why anyone would consider buying it, it just seemed so unreasonable to him.

Tokiya just shrugged. "If it makes her happy."

Domon shook his head at Tokiya's attempt at nonchalance, Fuuko's got him wrapped around her finger and it appeared he doesn't mind at all.

Tokiya felt his mobile vibrate and took it out of his jeans pocket. The caller ID flashed Fuuko's name. He looked to his two companions who took no notice of him as they held a mini-debate of Sony versus Toshiba. He stepped away until he was out of hearing distance before answering his phone.

"Hey baby," he greeted sweetly, turning his head back to make sure Recca and Domon were still busy pretending they knew what the hell they were talking about. He didn't want them to overhear how fucking sappy he can get around Fuuko.

"_Hey, I was wondering if you want to split Mom and Ganko's Christmas gifts. It'll save you from more shopping," _she opened, the susurrus in the background telling him she was in a rather crowded area of the mall.

"Sure."

"_Well I was thinking of getting Ganko that Berghoff chef knife set since she's always bemoaning the lack of really good quality knives at home,"_ Fuuko said, chefs and their stupid knives and correct way to cut shallots. Pfft.

"That's actually a novel idea," Tokiya commented, letting the awe flow in his voice.

"_Oh don't act so surprised,"_ Fuuko said feigning hurt. He could hear a woman in the background asking her if she wanted something wrapped. She either shook her head or nodded or was being completely rude and ignored the girl.

"What about your mother?" Tokiya said.

"_Easy, DVD set of Alias. She has this weird crush on Victor Garber,"_ she said with a laugh.

"That should keep her busy for a while." He thought it was amusing the way the older woman would blush when Jack Bristow stormed into a scene armed with a frown and a grave threat.

"_Good then, did you want anything from Kinokuniya? I'm here right now,"_ she asked.

"Oh good, Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami, they should have it." he said and continued at her unsaid question, "your brother. And that manga, Air Gear, get the first few volumes, for Shuichi."

She chuckled. _"You have a lot of people on your Christmas list this year, Mi-chan."_

He smirked, it was strange having this many people on his mind. For many years Fuuko was the only one he had to buy a unique present for, everyone at work got the same stupid trinket, including his boss and he always entrusted Fuuko to buy presents for their friends. "Yeah, but you're still number one."

"_Flirt! I'll meet you at dinner. Love you,"_ she said cheerily.

"Love you too, baby."

Tokiya turned around and almost had a heart attack when he found two uncomfortably close gentlemen peering at him curiously.

"Aw, how sweet," Domon said, saccharine coating his tongue and Tokiya could almost see the hearts floating out of his head.

"Ew, that's gross. And so weird. Stop that!" Recca said with equal amounts of amusement and horror etching his face.

"Oh shut up, you and your wife are worse," Tokiya drawled.

"Yes, but we're not gross," Recca said as if that settled the argument.

Tokiya smacked the back of Recca's head as they continued walking. "Fuuko and I are not gross."

"Fuuko definitely ain't gross," Domon said with a grin that was all too familiar. He was thinking dirty thoughts.

Tokiya found his hand bonking the side of his head. "I told you to stop picturing my girlfriend naked!"

"It's gross because you're cavorting with a boy, ewww," Recca added, reminding Tokiya of their mini-argument as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Nah, Fuuko's all woman," Domon said in her defense. A defense Tokiya did not appreciate especially with the perverted swirls on the wrestler's eyes.

Tokiya found himself hitting people a lot today. "Get my girlfriend's naked ass out of your head."

"Ooh, getting riled up about a boy, that's gross," Recca continued.

Tokiya slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead and muttered under his breath, "This is hopeless."

* * *

The five former members of the Hokage team decided to meet up for dinner at TGI Friday's since Recca mentioned he had never went there before and then Fuuko laughed in his face and called him deprived. Recca thumped her and Fuuko proved that she had not lost touch of any of her moves, the kind that Tokiya didn't like. Recca nursed a swollen lip and Fuuko said she'll treat him to dinner at Friday's as apology.

When the three now grown men, Tokiya, Recca and Domon, reached their table they found the two women sitting comfortably already, shopping bags stuffed haphazardly under the table. A coquettish looking frat boy in a red and white striped Friday's uniform appeared to be chatting the two girls up. He had that pretty boy wholesome appeal that none of three boys ever had, he looked about twenty-two and probably played some preppy sport like La Crosse.

They approached and Yanagi was the first to look up, heat obvious on her cheeks after the boy gave her a lopsided grin.

"Ugh, our men are here," Fuuko said playfully when she looked behind her.

"You sound extremely happy to see me," Tokiya drawled as he took his seat beside Fuuko before leaning over to give her a hello kiss.

Recca sat beside his wife and Domon took the chair at the head of the rectangular table.

Katsu, as his name tag suggests, smiled cordially at the newest arrivals and said clearly in that carefree college boy tone, "The ladies already ordered ahead for you, but can I take your drink orders?"

"I'll have a Magnum Dry," Tokiya said automatically. He liked his beer but rarely indulged in it, he figured he could now since he was on vacation.

Recca settled for a Pepsi and tomato juice for Domon. His drink choices were just about as eccentric as his taste in clothes.

"Would that be all?" Katsu asked, flashing them a bright smile.

"That would be all," Fuuko said sweetly, flashing him a coquettish smile.

"Thank you so much, Katsu," Yanagi said, a bit more subdued in her flirtatiousness.

When the boy left the two girls started giggling like two tweens at a Justin Timberlake concert.

"He was so cute," Fuuko squealed.

"I know, he has such lovely green eyes," Yanagi added dreamily.

Recca raised an eyebrow as Tokiya only snorted at their antics.

"I'm right here, you know, your husband," Recca reminded his blushing wife.

"Stop griping, I'm stuck with you 'til death do us part," Yanagi teased with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey!"

Domon 'oohed' as Fuuko snorted and hid her face on Tokiya's shoulders and he just shook his head with a smile on his face.

Fuuko smirked evilly, head still leaning on Tokiya's shoulders and said, "Are you going to start crying about it, Recca?"

"Fuuko! That was private!" Yanagi exclaimed eyes widening in horror but she couldn't help the amused shape her open mouth took.

"You told her about that?!" Recca turned on his wife looking absolutely mortified.

Domon looked between the two female members of Hokage. "What's this about?"

"I'd like to know too," Tokiya chimed in, genuinely interested. With Recca's vehemence, Fuuko's naughty smirk and Yanagi looking torn between comforting her husband or cackling, it was bound to be juicy and possibly extremely embarrassing for the ninja…which only makes it even better in Tokiya's opinion.

"I'll tell you later," Fuuko pretend whispered to Tokiya, since everyone including the people at the next table could hear her.

"Oh no you won't!" Recca reached across the table to put his hand over her mouth. Fuuko squealed and the clatter of flatware and plates turned the attention of the entire restaurant on their table.

Tokiya rolled his eyes, Fuuko hid her face on his shoulder, Recca whistled and Yanagi blushed crimson.

"Oh my God, it's Domon Ishijima!" A decidedly female scream followed and soon Domon was bombarded with wrestling fanatics.

"Thanks a lot guys," Domon said through the smile plastered on his face as he signed from eager fans who couldn't tell that their idol was very much to looking forward to a private night out with his closest friends.

Fuuko mouthed a sorry before Tokiya wrapped an arm around her to bring her closer to him when a particularly enthusiastic fan hit her head accidentally with his elbow. Eventually the management at TGI Friday's helped control the crowd so the famed wrestler and his friends could enjoy their dinner. After the commotion over their teammate who was voted least likely to grow up with a fan club when they were in high school, they enjoyed a noisy dinner filled with insults and threats and laughs and bonkings. It was a good night to have dinner with friends.

* * *

Tokiya and Fuuko walked hand in hand through the almost empty parking lot in front of the restaurant after seeing their friends off in their own rides. It was a quarter past one and most of the alcohol had seeped out of Tokiya's system. Knowing that they were the only two people around, as far as his eyes can see, he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer before nuzzling his face in the crook of his neck, trusting her to watch where they were going. His hand moved down to caress her ass through her jeans, squeezing it tightly from time to time.

"Hey, Fuuko, no one's home, we have the house to ourselves," Tokiya whispered suggestively. Fuuko only then remembered that her mother was spending the weekend with Takashi and Ganko was in Tokyo for the weekend for some culinary seminar.

"That so?" she played coy as Tokiya slipped his tongue inside her ear. When they reached his car, he pushed her against the car door and kissed her fully, grinding his hips against hers, making her feel the bulge in his pants. It wasn't long before Tokiya had unbuttoned her jeans, and pushed his hand inside her panties, playful fingers probing beneath her curls.

"Mi-chan…" she moaned out wantonly.

"Let's get you home, unless you want me to fuck you right here in the parking lot," the crude words came out huskily, only serving to intensify her lust.

Warning bells rang in the back of her head telling her there was a reason she's been avoiding sex with him. Fuuko's eyes snapped open. Shots, she missed her shots. He took out his hand and made a show of licking her clear juices from his fingers. Well there goes her plan of telling him she had her period. Fuuko had always been a quick thinker though, all fighters had to be after all, if you're slow you'd get killed in a battle dome.

What's better than a lie is a half truth.

"Mi-chan, I was supposed to get my DPV shot today but missed it. Don't think it's safe for us," she breathed as he nuzzled her throat. She was thankful that he wasn't looking at her at the time, she was sure she'd be able to see through her words. She was also thankful that Tokiya was never privy to her schedules at the clinic, although it pained her that he took her word without question, he trusted her so much and here she was lying through her teeth.

"We'll make a side trip," he immediately offered, fixing what he thought was a simple problem.

"Of course."

Minutes later they found themselves at a gas station. Tokiya stepped out and told the gas station attendant to fill the tank as he and Fuuko went inside the convenience store on the side. Fuuko picked up several cans of soda and some Reese's pieces. She went in search of Tokiya and found him staring at boxes of condoms. She was glad that they appeared to be the only two people inside the store, back in Tokyo she wouldn't have turned red at the idea of buying condoms with a boy but this was Nashikiri and it always had a strange way of making her feel like she was sixteen. Tokiya saw her staring and gave her an amused smirk.

"When was the last time the two of us actually used this?" he asked as he reached for a box of dotted ones. "Wanna try this?"

Fuuko shrugged. "Forever ago? This is the first time I missed a shot," she said. She couldn't help a giggle watching him picking condoms. The last time they used condoms was their first time together and when he found out she was on birth control, he insisted they get rid of the rubber. Tokiya once told her though that she was the only girl he trusted enough not to use a condom with. "Might as well have fun with it," she said after considering the purple package.

Tokiya picked up a box of dotted and regular ones before pulling her hand as they headed to the cash register. The oily man at the counter grinned at Fuuko in a perverted manner when he saw the two boxes of condoms. They were reminded of Fujimaru, Fuuko cringed and Tokiya gave the man a murderous glare before pushing her behind him.

They made it to the house at around two in the morning to an empty and quiet house.

"I'll put these in the fridge," Fuuko said, referring to her soda cans.

"I'll draw us a bath," Tokiya said, getting ready to climb up the stairs.

"I want bubbles!" Fuuko yelled after him before disappearing into the kitchen. As soon as she placed her soda cans in the fridge, taking a bit of time since her mother tended to overstock and she couldn't actually find space in their old refrigerator.

Fuuko heard water running in the bathroom, light escaping from space between the door and the floor.

"Fuuko, hurry up, bath's going to get cold," Tokiya called through the door when he heard the creaking of the steps.

"In a minute," Fuuko answered. She went into her room to get out of her street clothes and put on a terry bathrobe. She pinned her hair up with some chopsticks. She headed for the bathroom to find Tokiya submerged in bubbles, fragrant smell of rose bath beads in the air.

"Get in here," he drawled.

She slowly divested her robe, enjoying the lascivious way he licked his lips, openly admiring the curve of her body. She settled between his legs, loving the feel of his skin against hers. She sighed happily, leaned back and rested her head against his shoulder, eyes closing shut at the sweet aroma of roses and the sweeter touch of his hands on her skin.

"Don't fall asleep on me," Tokiya whispered, raining kisses on her shoulders.

"Mmm, it's just so relaxing," Fuuko muttered as she cuddled closer to his warmth.

His hands went underwater to rub and squeeze her lower back tenderly in a semblance of a massage. "You've been too stressed with work; I'll take care of you tonight."

"I have no doubt about that," Fuuko breathed before turning her head around and melding their lips together...

* * *

They made love twice more before settling in for the night, the two cuddled up in Fuuko's bed completely nude, knowing they had until Sunday afternoon before Ganko and Fuuko's mom came back.

They spent the morning in bed, playing truth or dare under the covers where Fuuko discovered something very interesting.

"Who was your first kiss?" he asked as he tucked a stray tendril of purple hair behind her ears.

"Recca. We were nine and just saw 'My Girl' and wanted to know what the big deal was," she answered immediately. "Who's your first kiss?"

"It's not my turn yet," he said impetuously.

She groaned. "Fine truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Mi-chan." She smacked his side.

"Fine, truth."

"Who's your first kiss?"

Tokiya gave her a curious grin before finally saying, "You."

She raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

He continued in explanation. "JS Prom, you were wearing a lovely blue gown and was drunk off punch. I took you out for some air since everyone else was indisposed. We were sitting on a bench by the balcony then you told me I had great kissing lips before laying one on me."

Fuuko hid her face behind her heads. "Oh my god, did we make out?"

"Well you passed out after about two seconds, so that would be a no," he said with a hint of disappointment.

"Was it good?"

"All two seconds of it was the best first kiss I could've asked for," he teased and she laughed out loud. He loved making her laugh.

Sometime after noon they managed to get out of bed. They cleaned up the mess they made in the bathroom. They spent the afternoon huddled in front of the television with popcorn and wasabi nuts watching a Bakusho Mondai comedy special on cable until Mrs. Kirisawa and Ganko came home. The rest of the day was spent wrapping presents. Well, Fuuko watched while Tokiya gift wrapped impeccably.

They were to spend Christmas eve with Takashi and his family and Christmas day dinner with their friends at the Hanabishi home.

Tokiya woke up on Monday morning with a gentle shake to his shoulder. He opened his eyes to the sight of Fuuko, hair messily pulled up in a bun and wearing footie pajamas and an old t-shirt of his and he thought she looked adorable.

"Merry Christmas Eve," she greeted softly and gave him a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Merry Christmas Eve to you too," he said. He noticed something rectangular, flat and messily wrapped in shiny gold paper clutched to her chest. "What's this?"

"I wanted to give you Christmas present part one," she said.

"There's a part two?" he asked, rubbing her arms because she looked a bit cold to him.

"And if you've been nice this year there might be a part three," she ground out naughtily.

She urged him to sit up and handed him the present. It weighed more than he had expected.

"Open it up." She had a nervous smile on her face and he wondered what she could be worried about.

Tokiya tore the wrapping with a giddy smile on his face, feeling like a kid with his first bike. The smile fell as his he slowly unveiled her gift. He just stared at it for a long time, unable to verbalize the thoughts jumbled in his head.

"Say something," Fuuko said fretfully.

He carefully set the gift beside him and gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, I love it," he kissed her temple, "I love you."

Fuuko let out a sigh of relief and sidled beside him. "I found it in one of you boxes at the storage, I wasn't snooping, I was looking for my old college transcripts and accidentally found your stuff instead…and your Mom was so beautiful and I thought it was a waste if we just let this rot in the box."

Tokiya took the frame in his hand and looked fondly at the picture, his mother in a paisley dress sitting on a wicker chair the sun creating blonde streaks on her brown hair, with a ten year old Mifuyu resting her head on her distended womb where little Tokiya rested for nine months.

"Otou must've taken this picture," Tokiya said, a catch in his throat.

"You probably took after your father, your Okaa and Mifuyu looked so much alike," Fuuko said.

Tokiya grinned, her words rang the truth. He was the splitting image of his father, when they were back in their loft he'd show her the pictures.

"They would've loved you."

"Hmm?"

"My Otou and Okaa, they would've adored you," he said. He didn't know his parents too well, but what he remembered was that they always made him feel warm and they would've been happy as long as he was happy. Wherever they were, he knew they were thankful for the woman in his arms, she brought him the happiness that they would've wanted for him had they lived.

He hugged her close, warmth spreading across his cheeks; he wished fervently that it would always be like this.

_To be continued…_

**End Notes:** I love fluff, SUE ME! Here's the thing, the preggy scare, I know what the result would be but I still haven't made up my mind whether I should go with my original plotline or if I should make things easy for myself and end this bitch. Thoughts?

**Next Chapter:** Finally! The concert! HAHAHAH.

**THANKS FOR READING AND A REVIEW WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.**


	15. It's Christmas All Over The World

Chapter Fifteen: It's Christmas All Over The World

**Disclaimer:** I do not own shit. It's Christmas All Over The World is by Sheena Easton and some guy… It's a Long Way to the Top is by AC/DC

**Author's Notes**: I just really liked this chapter, I think (from my own perspective of course) that it's the best I've written. I especially liked writing the concert part, it's a little shout out to School of Rock, because I loved that movie, hee. I hope you guys will enjoy it. Try not to kill me. **THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED!** Your reviews mean a lot and I'm sorry if sometimes I don't have the time to reply to you guys individually but I read each and every one of them and get all giddy and happy whenever I get one. I'm going to try and reply to you guys individually in the next few days.

**Chapter Fifteen: It's Christmas All Over The World**

Takashi Kirisawa dropped on the couch with a heavy thump, a hand on his stomach and a satisfied burp on his mouth. "That was one heck of a dinner kid."

Ganko smiled like a light bulb brightened up her face. "Thank you, nii-san."

Takashi motioned for his adopted sister to come closer and the younger girl obliged, sitting next to her big brother and hugging his waist as he wrapped both hands around her shoulders and giving her hair a nuzzle. "You should really open up your own restaurant, I swear I've never eaten a meal that good…no offense, koishii," he added, looking at his wife.

Ayame waved her hand in dismissal. "None taken. Kami, it'll take me all of January to get rid of all the weight I put on just for tonight."

Fuuko who sat on the loveseat beside Tokiya laughed and reminded her, "There's still New Year's dinner to think about."

"That was really amazing, Ganko, compliments to the chef," Tokiya said, raising his champagne glass in a toast.

"Stop it, you're making me blush," Ganko said while her face bubbled with delight from the oncoming of praise. "Anyway, I still have dessert…"

"Shit, seriously?" Fuuko interrupted, the seams of her dress were biting into her skin, reminding her that there's just no more room in there.

Takashi threw a balled up paper towel at Fuuko. "Stop cursing in front of Shuichi!"

As if on cue, the little man who was happily sitting on the coffee table playing his gameboy repeated the words gleefully. "Shit!"

To appease her brother Fuuko kindly reprimanded the boy. "That's a bad word Shuichi, Aunt Fuuko's gonna be soaping her mouth after this."

"I'll be soaping your mouth myself," Takashi reproached her little sister.

Fuuko looked properly chastised, giving her brother doe eyes and a wide pout. "Sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Daddy," Shuichi said, following his aunt's footsteps.

Takashi rolled his eyes. "Be glad you're cute," Fuuko beamed, "I meant Shuichi."

Fuuko snickered and snuggled closer to Tokiya who wrapped an arm around her.

Mrs. Kirisawa, who had been quietly sipping her steaming cup of tea spoke up, "But seriously, Ganko, you should open your own restaurant. I'll sell the house and we'll live there."

"Can I move in?" Fuuko chimed in.

Tokiya raised an eyebrow. "And leave me?"

Fuuko rubbed his tummy affectionately. "No, you can live in the freezer, it'd be just like your natural habitat," she teased. He grinned and pinched her side in retaliation.

"So who's up for some dark chocolate cake?"

All hands were raised.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Fuuko asked after realizing that they were not traversing the familiar streets to her home.

Tokiya only gave her a mischievous grin. "It's a surprise."

"What is with you and surprises?" she said tetchily though inside she was brimming with glee. Surprises from Tokiya always proved to be wondrous.

He shrugged. "I love the look of shock on your face."

"Uh-huh. Come on now, tell me?" she insisted.

"Just wait," he shushed her, reaching over the handbreak to squeeze her thigh as he turned the stirring wheel to the left with one hand.

After a couple more turns, Fuuko figured that they were on the way to the hill overlooking her hometown, the same place she and Yanagi were the other day. He glanced at her, watching the reactions on her face as wheels began turning in her head. The car went steadily up the rocky hill before parking on a valley overlooking the city lights, bright white lights mixed with red and green, the whole city anticipated Christmas.

"Any reason why we're here?" Fuuko asked as the hum of the engine slowly died down.

"I needed a romantic setting," he answered without further explanation.

"For what may I ask?" she whispered, trying not to let herself hope for a proposal, it was too soon for that and honestly, she wasn't even sure if that moment will ever come.

He merely grunted as he loosened his seatbelt. He turned to look at her as she watched his every movement with curiosity, the browns of her eyes brighter than usual and the faded make-up giving way to the creamy white of her cheeks and natural pinkness of her lips. He couldn't help it, he reached over and cupped a cheek and kissed her passionately, his lips so dry and hers so moist; it was the perfect combination for a perfect kiss.

"Don't tell me you brought me here so we could play out one of your high school setting fantasies?" she teased as he let up for air.

Tokiya grinned cheekily. "You'd like that wouldn't you."

"Mi-chan…" she pled, wanting to know what the hell was up.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, you looked so damn kissable," he said sincerely, rubbing her lower lip with his thumb, "but that's now why we're here."

He reached over her lap and opened the glove compartment. He pulled out a box –a box too big for an engagement ring, Fuuko though—wrapped in a shiny blue gift wrapper, a golden bow intricately wrapped around it.

"You're Christmas present part one," he mimicked her words to him just earlier in the morning. "I wanted a romantic setting for this."

Fuuko bit her lip to stop a squeal from bubbling out of her mouth. Her senses thrummed with anticipation as she took the box in her smaller hands.

"Can I open it now?" she asked meekly.

"No, you have to wait til morning," he deadpanned.

"Mi-chan!"

"I'm kidding, go open it," he said with a chuckle before placing a kiss on her cheek.

Fuuko tore through the gift wrapping like a cat on a cream revealing a navy blue velvet box underneath. Her heart beat faster, it was obviously jewelry (or keys to her new car but then that was just stupid because 1. he'd never trust her with a car and 2. neither of them were millionaires) and man, she loved jewelry. She flipped the lid of the box up to reveal…

The gaudiest pair of earrings this side Liza Minelli. It was orange and dangling and so obviously fake and she was pretty sure if she wore it her earlobes would be split into two.

"Oh wow, it's so…unique and…vintage…"

"And the ugliest piece of jewelry you've ever seen in your life?"

Fuuko whipped her head up to see Tokiya's mischievous grin back. She couldn't help the scowl in her face at the thought that he was making fun of her. Until he said his next words.

"My mother never liked it all that much either."

He smiled at the shock on her face before continuing, "We were rich you know, but when my parents died, they weren't ready, their accounts weren't taken care of and they entrusted our estate in the hands of people who've never had a good intention in their lives. Mifuyu and I were too young to fight for ourselves, the lawyers screwed us over and took everything, money, properties, all of my mother's possessions, clothes, trinkets, all of her jewelry. We were left with just the clothes on our back, a few pictures, my father's books and this," he traced his hand over sharp edge of the diamond shaped plastic, "my mother never wore it, but she treasured it. My father gave it to her when he first confessed his love for her. She was a socialite, hailing from an old rich family, he was an elementary public school teacher who had no money and apparently no taste in jewelry," he chuckled, "but she loved him and so she loved it."

Fuuko hung on to his every word, she held her breath afraid that if she let it go that he would stop and the magic around him would unwound itself. Over the years she'd learned much about him, but much of it was from her own snooping or him letting something slip unwittingly. He'd never told her this much, even with all her coaxing.

"Baby, don't cry," he burst nervously as he watched his girlfriend's eyes water. He kissed away a tear that had fallen. "Seriously, I was trying to make you happy."

Fuuko sniffled and sobbed and she absolutely hated the fact that she could never cry gracefully like Demi Moore on Ghost or something, instead she cried like a toddler, her nose reddening and she prayed to Kami that snot wasn't running down her nose. "I am happy!"

"You turn so ugly when you're crying," he said with a snicker, watching his girlfriend wipe her nose with the back of her hand, her face a complete mess of eyeliner and tears.

"I hate you! You're so mean!" she yelled as she held the velvet box close to her heart.

He only laughed harder before pulling her up from her seat with ease and settling her across his lap. She buried her face in his chest hiccupping wet sobs into his shirt.

"Did you like my gift?" he asked, rubbing her back and placing soft kisses on her face.

She sniffed and grunted and nodded her head.

"I'm glad. It's the only legacy my family left me, it's the only thing I could offer," he whispered.

It made her cry more. "I'll take very good care of it," she promised in between sighs and hiccups.

"I know you would," he said with certainty.

"I don't have to wear it, do I?" she followed quietly.

Tokiya couldn't help the boisterous laughter coming out of his lips. He couldn't remember a time when he had been happier than this moment, this minute, this second.

'_Okaa, Otou, Nee-san, thank you,'_ he prayed in his head. They had to be watching over him, it didn't seem possible that he could've found this woman all on his own.

* * *

"Can I just say again that I love my new bag?" Fuuko said to him for the umpteenth time as she caressed the smooth patent leather of her Burberry hobo as if it was an old lover.

"Yes. I heard you the first three hundred times," he said with false exasperation. He was just glad that his Christmas present number two didn't have her bawling in his arms.

His somber reply didn't affect her mood. "Do you love your new PDA?" she asked gingerly.

"Yes, honey," he said. Though he honestly didn't see the use for it, he'd gone all his life without need for assistance to keep up with his social calendar. There wasn't much of it to begin with and he always prided himself with his photographic memory.

She frowned. "You don't sound like it."

"Fuuko, I loved your gift, all of your gifts," he assured then smirked, "especially the one last night." A picture of her in nothing but a long pearl necklace kneeling before him as she sucked him dry came unbidden in his thoughts. Oh Kami, he was hard again.

"Hentai," she chided.

"Your fault," he teased as he took her hand and placed on it on his bulge, urging her to rub it a bit to relieve him of his ache.

"You sure we should be doing this while you're driving, Mister Drive Safely?" she said even as she fondled him gently.

He groaned as the car swerved a bit. Thankfully they were on an empty backstreet leading to the backstage of the open arena where the concert was to be held. "If I'm going to die, this would be the way to go."

She gave him one last squeeze before removing it from his lap. "Well, I for one would like to live to see the kids' concert."

He sulked and pouted.

She smiled at his antics. "Just drive! We're going to be late!"

"You're making it up to me later," he said with finality.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"I promise to make it very fun for you," he added lecherously.

"You're incorrigible," she sighed.

"That's why you love me."

She couldn't really dispute that.

* * *

Tokiya and Fuuko arrived at the open arena at a quarter past one. Several trucks have already taken up residence at the parking spaces nearest the back entrance so they had to walk a bit before they could reach cobble stone stage. Fuuko took out two laced IDs that had the words 'staff' in bold black letters. She handed one to her boyfriend, she wanted to make sure that he'd be able to move around the area. And she planned on putting him to good use anyway; she needed someone to carry the heavy artillery.

"So what do I do?" Tokiya asked, feeling rather misplaced in the melee.

"Not much, really, I'm just here to make sure everything goes down smoothly," Fuuko said. She prided herself for being an efficient planner and having an amazing sense of foresight. "You can get me coffee though."

Tokiya arched an eyebrow.

"I'm kidding! Come on, Maina just texted me that the kids are backstage and getting into costume," she said as she placed her blackberry back in her bag.

"Do I have to?" Tokiya grunted impatiently.

On any other day she would have found his words amusing, but not now, not when there was possibly a child growing in her womb courtesy of the Ensui master. She felt the heavy weigh of the unopened box of tampons in her box, reminding her that she wasn't in the clear, they weren't in the clear.

She shook her head to will the foreboding thoughts away; she didn't have time to worry about anything else. She had to focus.

"Let's just go," she said shortly.

Tokiya, as if sensing her growing irritation, held her hand and followed.

They made their way past the maze of boxes, sound equipments and crew. They entered a door marked 'Stage 1', with Fuuko flashing her ID at the guard for the both of them. There was even more ruckus inside, the noise of instruments and voices contained by stone walls and thick door. They stopped at a door with a purple cardboard hanging over it, the words "Seven Eleven" in whimsical cursives, written in glittery pens. Fuuko laughed at the name, seven eleven year olds made up their band, how appropriate.

"Nice sign guys," she greeted as she opened the door.

The kids were sitting in on the couches, looking a lot sharper in their brand new clothes, courtesy of Fuuko's personal stylist (Akira the gay bouncer). Their faces lit up at the sight of the purple haired organizer who went all out just for them.

"You're going to be on in about four hours, you ready to bring the house down?" she said enthusiastically, clapping her hands in excitement.

A resounding chorus of "Yeahs!" were heard. They were excited, none of them were nervous, these kids knew they had skills and weren't afraid to flaunt it.

Fuuko went to talk to Maina to go over the kids' performance. Tokiya didn't really pay much attention, choosing to just observe from afar. This was her zone, and he didn't want to impose, he was just glad she was trying to include him.

"Oi, Mikagami," he heard someone call him. Tokiya scowled, recognizing the familiar husky tone and perpetual scent of cigarette and leather. He cocked his head sideways to glare at the man.

"Kosuke," he greeted.

"What're you doing here?" the man said arrogantly.

Tokiya kept his cool and answered, "I'm here with my girlfriend."

He smirked at the way the rock star flushed with jealousy, married or not, Tokiya knew that the man still had lingering feelings for Fuuko.

"I thought the backstage was closed to crew and performers," Ken challenged.

Tokiya merely flashed his badge at him, not thinking the man was worthy of even a monosyllabic response.

"What? Lost your fancy job so you're now sidelining as help?" Ken chided maliciously.

"Ken!" Fuuko's shrill voice interrupted them. "Aren't you supposed to be on the other end of the stadium?"

Tokiya couldn't help the grin of triumph on his face as Fuuko sidled up next to him and slipped an arm around his waist.

"I think that's her nice way of telling you to bugger off," Tokiya sneered.

"Mi-chan," Fuuko pleaded. Having a brawl erupt in front of impressionable eleven year olds wasn't her idea of a good time.

Tokiya took one look at her face and backed down. It irked him that Ken seemed to do the same.

"I'll see you later," Ken said as he walked away, glancing behind him every now and then. Ken loved his wife, but it annoyed him that Fuuko ended up with the man he thought was the biggest reason they couldn't ever work it out. He wasn't blind, even before Tokiya and Fuuko started advertising their relationship for everyone to see, he always knew something was going on between the two of them. He'd seen them out in bars, always holding each other a little too intimately but never close enough to give anything away. He wondered sometimes if Fuuko ever cheated on him with her proclaimed best friend. The two of them together behind his back, he could never get over it. He looked back one more time, just in time to see Fuuko wrap her arms tightly around Mikagami's waist and stretch her neck to place a kiss on the side of his neck. Ken couldn't remember a time that she was ever that affectionate with him. It seemed she could never get over him either.

* * *

Fuuko entered the ladies' room to get a breather. The gates were now open and the stadium was steadily getting filled. She smiled at herself in the mirror and gave herself a mental pat on the back; it was a successful turn out. With the concert's revenue as well as the generous donations they have received from various sponsors, the orphanage would be able to afford a complete overhaul of their home, and then some. They just needed to get through the concert and she knew Druid always delivered a fantastic show and she had complete faith in the children's talents. It was almost done. Just two hours more.

Tokiya had gone out to sit with their friends in the front row and enjoy the show. He wasn't much help with her earlier, pretty much just stood and got bored, so bored that she actually got him to get her coffee twice. That was certainly fun.

"Hey, Fuuko-chan," a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Fuuko looked up to see Yanagi's reflection in the mirror. She forced a smile on her face, it wasn't that she didn't want to see her friend, it was just that she constantly reminded her of her current situation.

"Yanagi-chan, what're you doing here?" Fuuko asked.

Yanagi waved the staff badge around her neck. "Tokiya-kun lent it to me so I could see you."

Fuuko turned around and faced her. "Did you need something?" She didn't want to sound short but she couldn't help the impatient tone in her voice.

Yanagi sighed, she hated what she did but someone had to shake Fuuko, had to get her out of this bubble she'd forced herself into. "Fuuko, you're late two days."

"Yanagi, this isn't really the time to talk about this," Fuuko said, turning her back to her friend.

The married woman was relentless. "You can't keep living in denial. You could be pregnant, it's better to know now than later!"

The purplehead twisted the faucet and splashed water on her face. "Yanagi, please, I don't want to fight."

"I'm not trying to fight you, I'm trying to help you," she answered.

"Then leave me alone, okay! I just want to go through today without having you breathing down my neck about it," she seethed.

Yanagi didn't back down, she understood the stress her friend was going under, but she thought it was about time she face the music. She took out a pink box from inside a pharmaceutical bag and slipped it inside her friend's open bag. "This isn't a movie Fuuko, you can't just press pause when you're afraid to see what's coming next."

With those last words she exited the restroom quietly, planning on enjoying the evening with her husband.

* * *

Fuuko stood in the crowd and leaned back against Tokiya who had wrapped his arms around her waist. She had come out to the audience side for the last song of Seven Eleven, wanting to enjoy at least one last song with her friends. The crowd was on their feet, all yells and cheers, anticipating the next performance. She knew they were amazing and now her whole town did too.

Satomi raised her drumsticks above her head and tapped it thrice, her mouth counting to four. Kitaro, standing over to the side looking like he didn't give a rat's ass what was going on around him, took over on cue, tapping his foot in time with his bass and Ryuichi joined him with magical riffs of his guitar, standing a little off center and soaking up the attention. Iwano began tapping on his keyboard as Eisen took over front and center and opened his mouth.

_Riding down the highway_

Eisen opened with perfect enunciation, not a trace of his Japanese accent evident. They knew this song by heart. Chiaki and Chieki echoed the tune, their voices high and frivolous. They looked like the chanteuses they were in the pretty navy sailor dress Akira had hooked them up with.

_Goin' to a show  
Stop in all the byways  
Playin' rock 'n' roll  
Gettin' robbed  
Gettin' stoned  
Gettin' beat up  
Broken boned  
Gettin' had  
Gettin' took  
I tell you folks  
It's harder than it looks_

Fuuko yelled until her voice was hoarse. Domon was getting his groove down as he jumped up and down the way he used to when they were sixteen and sneaking into X Japan concerts. Recca was having the time of his life getting his wife Yanagi to loosen up, waving her hands up in the air for her. Tokiya mouthed the words to the song, a grin on his face, arms still around his girlfriend.

_It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands  
Try playin' in a rock roll band  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll_

Eisen's voice never wavered, reaching Bon Scott's pitch like it was the most natural thing in the world.

_Hotel motel  
Make you wanna cry  
Lady do the hard sell  
Know the reason why  
Gettin' old  
Gettin' grey  
Gettin' ripped off  
Under-paid  
Gettin' sold  
Second hand  
That's how it goes  
Playin' in a band_

Mrs. Kirisawa had her hands clamped over her ears, muttering something about teenagers and their devil music as Ganko laughed at her, urging her to listen. Shuichi was the exact opposite, having the time of his life on his father Takashi's shoulders, trying to sing along even when he didn't know the words. Ayame remained seated, yelling at anyone who bumped into her that she was pregnant and if she miscarried she would sue.

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
If you wanna be a star of stage and screen  
Look out it's rough and mean

Ryuichi slid across the stage like a bona fide rock legend, mimicking Angus Young's antics as he kicked his leg and never losing his beat. He launched into an impromptu guitar solo and his bandmate's indulged him, Satomi simply shaking her head as she continued to bang into her drums.

_It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll_

Fuuko turned around and wrapped her arms around Tokiya's neck as they danced together, locked in each other's world. "You're amazing," he whispered into her ear and she kissed him, their lips touching softly as the music raged around them.

_Well it's a long way  
It's a long way, you should've told me  
It's a long way, such a long way_

* * *

Tokiya moved around the kitchen looking for something to eat. He was famished, having run 10 miles that morning with his regular jogging partner, Domon. Mrs. Kirisawa was out for the day with her book club friends so no one had cooked lunch. The refrigerator was filled to the brim with leftovers from Christmas but he was too tired to heat anything up. He was allowed his days of lethargy, he thought, so he picked up the phone to order pizza.

It was close to noon and Fuuko was still in bed. He figured he'd let her sleep in, knowing the event yesterday took most of her energy. He had gone ahead last night, driving Mrs. Kirisawa home since Ganko was spending the night at a friend's house so they could catch an early morning flight to Singapore for another culinary convention. Fuuko caught a ride with one of her P.A.'s, having to stay over and make sure everything was wrapped up and put back in order. She didn't get back until three in the morning, stumbling onto her (in his mind, their) bed still in her jeans and sneakers.

Tokiya passed time taking a quick shower and changing into comfy black sweats and an old t-shirt. As soon as he slipped his head inside the t-shirt hole, the doorbell rang. He trotted down the stairs and opened the door to a grease faced teenager who looked about as happy with his job as he would contracting gonorrhea.

"Morning," Tokiya greeted.

The teen just shoved the box of pizza at him and lifelessly said, "That'll be 3200 Yen."

Tokiya reached inside his pocket and realized that his wallet was left upstairs. "Oh shit, can you wait a second?"

The teen rolled his eyes and it took all of Tokiya's control not to sock the disrespectful swot. He looked around and spotted Fuuko's bag on the coffee table. She must've dropped it there last night before she went upstairs. He jogged back and grabbed the bag, opening the side and reached for her wallet, he'd just pay her back later. The pizza delivery boy took the money with a mumbled thank you.

Tokiya went to the kitchen and placed the pizza on the kitchen counter before going back to the living room to place Fuuko's wallet inside her bag. As he reached over the couch he accidentally knocked the bag to its side, the contents spilling to the floor.

"Damn it," he didn't know what was wrong with him today, forgetting his wallet, acting clumsier than Fuuko. He bent down to pick up his girlfriend's stuff and carefully putting it inside the bag, hoping he didn't break anything. The last item fell under the couch and he had to crouch down to reach it. His hand enclosed around a box and pulled it out.

"Mi-chan, do I smell pizza?" Fuuko said groggily as she made her way down the stairs. Tokiya didn't answer so she made her way over to him. She wondered what could be so interesting about the carpet as he kneeled over it his shoulders tensed.

"Mi-chan? Baby?"

"Do you mind telling me what's going on, Fuuko?"

That's when she saw what was in his hand.

"I.." she started but failed to say more.

"Fuuko, are you pregnant?" he asked calmly.

She plopped down the couch and buried her face in her palms. "I don't know."

"You mean, you're not sure? But we've been careful," he said, steady panic rising in his voice.

Fuuko bit her lip.

"We've been careful, right?"

She refused to look at him. "I may have lied to you about when I missed my shot."

"Fuck it!"

She cringed at his outburst, his nostrils flared as his muscles pulsed. She wanted to just disappear.

"Did you take the test?" he demanded.

"The box is still sealed, isn't it?"

"Now's really not the time to be sarcastic," he growled and if she wasn't so sure that he would never stoop so low as to hit a woman, she would've been afraid he'd hurt her.

"No, I haven't," she said in a small voice.

"You're going to take it now, we have to find out." It was an imperative.

"Mi-chan…" she tried to reason.

"You're going to take it now!"

Fuuko stared up at him, eyes wide and bloodshot, unshed tears taking the toll on her face. He had never yelled at her before. She took the box proffered and quietly went to the downstairs bathroom. She came out just a minute later, the white and blue plastic stick in her hand. She found him sitting on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, body tight and face indecipherable. She placed the stick on the coffee table and sat on the edge of the couch, as far away from him as possible.

A minute passed by, just two minutes more. He stood up and closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he apologized as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, I lied," she said, "I swear to God, I wasn't planning this…"

"I know, baby, I know. It never crossed my mind," he assured her kissing her temple and letting her know he would never think she'd do anything so duplicitous as to trap him with a child.

"What're we going to do?" she cried, tears now openly flowing.

"Let's not think of it yet," he said, his mind going on shut down as the last few seconds ticked down.

Three

Two

One

Fuuko reached over and held the stick in her hand. She took a deep calming breath before peering into the clear plastic. A single thin line held her judgment.

"Fuuko?"

"I'm not pregnant."

Tokiya let out a huge breath as he leaned back against the cushions, hands stretching above his head. "Thank Kami!"

Fuuko looked at him, watched the smile on his face, the relaxing of his shoulders and the absolute look of relief on his face. He was sitting right next to her yet at that moment she felt as if there was a continent of space between them.

"That was a close call," he said almost giddily until he saw the look on her face. "Fuuko?"

"I was scared," she started, "I was scared and I was nervous, but I wanted that baby."

"We weren't ready, Fuuko," he tried to explain.

"When are we going to be ready?"

He gaped at her in disbelief as he tried to find words to convey how damn ludicrous her question was.

"Scratch that, when are you going to be ready?" Her gaze was steady even when she felt like drowning, wishing and hoping that he'd give her something to hold onto.

"Fuuko, we haven't been together a month!" he said incredulously.

And he gave her nothing.

"I think it's time we end this," she said quietly.

"You're breaking up with me?!"

"We want different things!"

"Fuuko, we love each other. I love you so, so much, please don't leave me," he begged her.

She shook her head. "Do you want to marry me? Do you want to have children with me? Can you give me that?"

He bit into his fist and she saw her last hope fading before her eyes. "It's over."

"No!" He fell to the ground on his knees, arms around her legs and his face buried in his lap.

"Don't make this harder!"

"You're the one making things difficult, I love you, you love me, we don't need anything else!"

She brought his face up and pressed her forehead against his. "I want a family, I want more than this." _Just tell me, lie to me if you have to, Mi-chan please…_

"I love you more than life itself," he groveled, begged and cried, not caring if his dignity was stripped away from him.

She knew his heart was breaking, watching his gray eyes dulling before her but she had to do this. If they went on like this, her constantly nagging him to give her what she wanted and him being adamant about denying her of her dreams, they would just grow to resent each other. She never wanted that, not with him.

"I love you just as much, if not more, that's why I have to let you go."

_To be continued…_

**End Notes:** That last part took some toll on me because, I've said this many times, I HATE writing angst. I like the way it turned out, I hope it didn't turn out too contrived or anything. It was necessary to the story, this has always been the way it was going to turn out, the crux of the plot. It's strange that this is my favorite chapter, there were just some elements of it that I truly enjoyed writing, the concert, Tokiya's speech about the earring, Ken's little introspection, even the end (as much as I hate myself for going through it). Yeah. Just have faith and I promise not to make you guys wait too long for the next chapter.

**Next Chapter:** Can't reveal anything.

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	16. Always Something There to Remind Me

**Disclaimer: **FoR and all its characters belong to Anzai. Chapter title "Always Something There to Remind Me" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David but the version by Naked Eyes is the inspiration to the chapter.

**Author's Notes and Thank Yous: **Here's the next chapter. Thanks to all those who reviewed and continue to review. **cLoTiHeArT** (Aw) **Mrs. Hatake Itachi**, **aki reinhart **(is it like Sunset Beach? Because I loved Sunset Beach) **khryzle-chan **(dude, sorry for the wait :p) **malo** (I wouldn't blame it all on Tokiya, to be honest. Not everyone wants to get married and have kids, I'm more of a Tokiya in that sense) **LadyLyris, Nils, Autrevalse** (Yay for Murakami fans! And your review made me blush, thank you so much) **mikaro **(what I was going for!) **kyusetsuki satsuki, me, SnowCharms, and abubi-chan!** **THANK YOU GUYS I LOVE ALL OF YOU!**

**Chapter Sixteen: There's Always Something There To Remind Me**

His hands flew across the black keys on the keyboard, white letters fading under the harsh treatment of his fingers. The numbers kept assaulting him on the open Excel file, running towards his eyes and blurring into jargon in his mind. He barely had to think about what he was doing, it was all second nature to him, formulas were his forte.

"_Oh god, this is so annoying," she groaned as she slowly punched in numbers on her laptop that she was reading off a simple calculator on her lap._

_He walked towards her desk, facing the soft afternoon sun, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. _

"_Problem?" he asked, setting his coffee on the unused coaster on her desk._

_She sighed heavily, her bangs swishing against her forehead. "The girl at finance had to go and give birth this weekend and I need to present this to the clients by Monday and I have no clue what the fuck I'm doing."_

_He leaned down and settled his head on her shoulder before gently prying her hands off her mouse and keyboard. He clicked on a cell and typed in letters and symbols that were foreign to her. "If you learned how to use Excel it would make your life a whole lot easier," he whispered as he continued to work. _

_A couple of minutes later he clicked on another cell and the values she needed came up automatically without help of her calculator. "That should cut your work in about half."_

"_You're my hero," she said breathlessly as he showed her some more tricks of the software. _

"_This way you can come to bed earlier," he said as he entered the last formulas._

"_You'll be getting a very good thank you from me mister," she teased as she lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm._

"_Looking forward to it."_

He slammed his hand against his desk as he realized he'd been reminiscing another memory of her. Three days, three fucking days of this, he wasn't sure how he could go on. He had never realized how much she had encompassed his whole life, his whole existence. Every little goddamn thing would trigger a memory, he couldn't escape her. She was five hundred miles away and she was still haunting him.

"_Tokiya, you don't have to leave," she had pleaded half-heartedly._

"_You can't really expect me to stay, after…after…" He couldn't find it in himself to say it out loud, it was too final. Instead he opened the trunk of his car and stuffed his luggage in._

"_What do I tell Mama? What do I tell our friends?" she asked as she played with the hem of her shirt._

"_Whatever you want, it's not like I have a say in any of your decisions," he said harshly._

"_Don't be like this…"_

_He turned to her, eyes bleeding red, out of rage, out of sadness, he didn't know. "Be what? Be hurt? What'd you expect me to be, Fuuko?! Happy and accepting! You just broke up with me!"_

"_Mi-chan, it's for the best," she reasoned, eyes desperately trying to lock with his._

"_For whom?!" he yelled, slamming the trunk of his car with a resounding thud. He regretted his outburst as he watched her shoulders fold in to her torso, as if she was afraid of him. He walked up to the front steps of her home, only hoping to hug her goodbye but once he'd touched her arms he couldn't help but pull her in for a kiss holding her head between his hands and pressing their bodies together. It was supposed to work, it always worked, whenever she was upset, he could just kiss her and it would all go away, but even as she clung to him, he knew that she wouldn't change her mind, that once he let go, it would still be over._

"_Damn it," he murmured against her lips._

"_I'm sorry." She pulled away._

"_It doesn't matter if you are," he said truthfully. He got into his car and drove away, never looking back._

A knock on the door startled him from his reverie. He lifted his head up just in time to watch his boss poke his head in the partly open door.

"Sir," he said weakly, standing up and bowing politely at the older man.

Fujikawa stepped in the dimly lit room dressed in a classic charcoal Armani suit, well-polished Florsheims, his grey hair slicked back with pomade and a lit Alhambra cigar. He looked like he just stepped out of a fifties gangster movie.

"What're you doing up here alone, Mikagami? Don't you wanna join in the festivities downstairs?" he asked in that commanding gravelly voice that made grown men cower and young women feel violated.

"I don't really feel like partying," Tokiya answered simply. When he came into work earlier that morning he had forgotten that today was the company's New Year's party and everyone looked at him like he was crazy when he went to his office, dressed in a rumpled shirt and jeans, and locked himself in to work.

"Bullshit! Come on down, champagne's flowing!" his boss boomed.

"With all due respect, sir, I would really like to be alone right now," he said somberly.

Fujikawa quirked a graying eyebrow at him before carefully asking, "Where's that lovely girl of yours?"

Tokiya swallowed the lump in his throat; he was hoping his boss would not ask about her. "She's not my girl anymore."

"Aa," the septuagenarian appraised knowingly, "that's why you've been acting and looking like the walking dead the last couple of days."

Tokiya snorted at the comparison. He'd always prided himself in his appearance, these days he couldn't even find the strength to look for a clean shirt.

The CEO took a seat in the black leather couch on the far end of Tokiya's office and made himself at home. "I don't have scotch but you look wasted enough anyway, go ahead boy, talk it out."

The former Ensui wielder shook his head and slipped his hands in his pocket. "Sir there's really no need--"

"Bullshit! Men these days are so protective of their ego, they think showing a bit of emotion makes them a wuss, come on boy, your life is in shambles over a woman, now's not the time to act tough," Fujikawa admonished.

Tokiya sighed, he knew the older man was relentless and there was no point resisting. He walked around his desk and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I'm guessing she's the one who left you," his boss started.

Tokiya nodded.

"What happened? She caught you with another woman?" the man guessed, it was the most obvious reason to him.

"No!" Tokiya said defensively.

"Then what is it? Or are you going to make me guess all night?"

Tokiya sighed. "She started talking about marriage and babies."

"And what'd you say?" Fujikawa asked as he took a puff of cigar, a cloud of smoke wrapping around his head.

"That I loved her and we didn't need anything else," Tokiya said as if it was the most sensible thing in the world.

Fujikawa let out a mocking laugh. "No wonder she dumped your ass."

Tokiya felt a little annoyed at the way his boss trivialized the situation. "Look, she knew about my stand on marriage, she knew I never wanted children. What the fuck was she thinking asking me that?"

"And boy, you're an idiot if you thought for a second that she's going to forsake all those girly dreams just for you. All women want those things," his boss snapped back.

"No they don't," Tokiya said childishly.

"Yeah, name one!"

"Mitsuki from sales."

"Mitsuki from sales is a whore."

"I think that goes against our ethics guidelines, sir."

"Screw that, I own the company, what's she going to do to me?"

"Sue you?"

"Shut your smart mouth up," Fujikawa huffed but Tokiya knew his boss wasn't upset. He had worked under the man long enough to be casual with him.

Fujikawa straightened up and placed his elbows on his knees and pierced Tokiya with a soulful look. "Granted that not all women want marriage and children, would you really be happier with any one of them than you would be with Fuuko?"

Tokiya bit his lip and looked at his boss wearily. It was answer enough.

"Listen closely boy, I'll tell you this just once," his boss said as he took another hit of nicotine from his cigar, "when I fell in love with the right woman, I stopped living a life for myself and I made her my world. I have never regretted anything since then."

Tokiya remained silent as he absorbed the worldly executive's words.

"It's up to you, Mikagami, you can hook up with Mitsuki from sales, she's drunk off her ass downstairs and wouldn't object to anything and live the rest of your life unmarried and childless, just as you planned, or you can throw all that to the wind, pick up that phone and call her, tell her she's your world. Otherwise, just let her go and wish her the best in her life in the arms of someone who can love her enough to give her all her dreams," Fujikawa finished solemnly.

With that he stood up and ambled out the door as quietly as his shoes would let him, not waiting for the younger man's reply. He figured the boy had a lot to think about that night.

…

Tokiya glared at the laser printer as it very slowly vomited out copies of his report. His assistant, the elderly Magda, was still on holidays so he was stuck doing the mundane tasks he usually passed off to her. He started humming a familiar tune to pass the time.

_Here comes the sun, du du du du_

He almost bit his tongue as soon as he realized it was her favorite song. "Get a hold of yourself, Mikagami."

"Tokiya-kun! What are you doing here?" a shrill voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to watch a tall, buxom blonde in a blood red blazer and a matching skirt that he was sure went against the company's dress code walk in with a manila folder in her hand.

"Mitsuki-san," he greeted without a smile, "my assistant's on leave so I'm making copies myself."

"I'll go after you're done then," she said. He was expecting her to leave and come back later but instead she walked in and closed the door after her.

"Hey," she said silkily, "word on the street is you and your girlfriend are on the outs."

Tokiya wanted to roll his eyes. If there was one thing that never faltered, it was the office grapevine. "I really don't want to talk about it."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly let her fingers trail down to his elbow. "You know, I'm a good listener and I know you don't have family here, I know what it's like to be alone after a break-up. Maybe you want me to listen, say over lunch?"

He looked at her. Pretty, fox-like face, tight body, legs that went on and on, she was hot alright, hotter than Fuuko, and he was man enough to admit that. He had never asked her out, office romances were never his thing and to be honest she had a bit of a reputation for being the village bike. But if she's the one offering, why not?

_Don't think about her, brain._

"Sure."

She giggled and he instantly regretted saying yes. "I'll pick you up later."

…

Tokiya squirmed in his seat as Mitsuki leaned over one more time and flashed him her cleavage as she whispered recommended dishes in his ear. The way she spoke, she might as well have been whispering quotes from the Kama Sutra. A couple of years back he would've been on her like white on rice but when she scratched her long nails against his knee he could only think of Fuuko's small hands and how she always held his hand under the table whenever they ate out.

"You should try the unagi no kabayaki, it's amazing," Mitsuki suggested, touching his arm unnecessarily.

Tokiya let out a small grin. "I know, it's the only thing Fuuko orders here."

Mitsuki didn't hide the sour look on her face as she retracted her hand immediately and flipped over her menu. "What about dessert? I want something sweet."

"You should try the dorayaki, that's--"

"Fuuko's favorite," she cut him off.

Tokiya looked chastised.

She snapped the menu shut and placed it on the table. "Look, obviously you're not over your girlfriend," she started.

"I thought we were here to talk about it," he said.

She eyed him wearily. "We both know that wasn't it."

Tokiya surrendered sheepishly.

"I pegged you for a player, Tokiya-kun but turns out I'm wrong. I know I have a reputation for being indiscriminate but I'm not about to play second fiddle to another woman. I'm in it for fun, not for any of the emotional crap," she said without pause.

"You would've been my type of girl," he said seriously.

"But things have changed. She must've been a great girl to make you do a one-eighty," she said sincerely.

"Yeah," he said as he fiddled with his fork. It was one of Fuuko's habits.

She pushed her phone towards him. "Go call her."

"I have my own phone you know," he said.

"Then why don't you use it?" she returned. "I'll be retouching my make up, for a long while."

She picked up her purse and made her way through the maze of tables towards the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were.

Tokiya took out his phone from his pocket and stared at it long and hard before flipping it open and pressing on speed dial number 1. The phone continued to ring and he half wondered if she was screening his calls, it hurt a little to think that she didn't want to talk to him when he was dying just to hear the sound of her voice.

"_Hey it's Fuuko, can't come to the phone, leave a message."_

Tokiya breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow leaving a message on her voicemail seemed less daunting than talking to her in person.

"Hey," he opened, and took a second to breathe. "It's me…Mi-chan," he chuckled at referring to himself with the nickname she'd christened him with in their teens, "I'm out to lunch with Mitsuki, from sales…I don't know why I'm telling you that. It's perfectly innocent, I promise," he felt a little guilt ridden knowing that's not how it had started, "I think she was hitting on me…but she got pissed off when I kept bringing you up. I don't mean to but I couldn't help it, she kept saying things that reminded me of you," he picked up his fork, "I don't think it was a coincidence though, just that everything reminds me of you," he blew on the fork and watched his reflection fog up, "this fork reminds me of you, the way you eat your pasta, you wrap your lips around your fork so tightly, like vacuum and you let it slip out slowly like you don't want a single drop of sauce wasted," he bit his lip as he felt something prickle in his eyes, "the other day I couldn't sleep so I went into your room buried my nose in your pillow, it still smells like you, vanilla and jasmine. I dreamed of you that night, about that time we went to the park to feed the ducks, you were wearing that blue dress with the stars on it and you looked so beautiful," the tears fell and he was unmindful of how the couple at the other table gaped at him openly, "I miss you, Fuuko. I miss my best friend. I'm a wreck," he leaned against his hand as he tried to choke back a sob, "I don't want to be without you anymore. Please tell me how do I get you back?"

_To be continued..._

**End Notes:** Just a disclaimer, not all women who don't want marriage and children are a whore. I do not believe that for a second, because I am the same...and I am pretty sure I am not a whore. And whore is a hateful term but the character of Fujikawa is a traditional old school chauvinist, it fit his dossier to speak like that. I still like him though. And I ended up liking Mitsuki, she'd probably be one of my girlfriends (in fact, I think I subconsciously patterned her after one of my girlfriends). I was kind of tired of the less than pleasing female original characters, I wanted Mitsuki to be different.

And I really loved Mi-chan being all teary eyed.

**Additional Disclaimers:** Here Comes the Sun is by The Beatles. For some reason Fuuko always ends up being a Beatles fan in my fics. Call it self-insertion.

Only about three or four chapters left!

**PLEASE GIVE THE REVIEW BUTTON SOME LOVE AND HELP ME REACH 300!  
**


	17. Boys Do Fall In Love

**Disclaimer: **FoR, not mine (in case you're confused). "Boys Do Fall In Love" is by Robin Gibb.

**Author's Notes:** Short chapter, but shorter chapters mean faster updates. So take your pick. And I reached 300! Wow, just wow. Thanks so much guys. **Thanks to my reviewers: skysenshi** (I share the Mi-chan wub. I adore him) **Eirist **(oh, the boy is going all out in getting Fuuko back) **Animeni **(Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the story)** cygnet411** (thank you very much) Lyris (I think I'm the only one who actually thinks Tokiya doesn't deserve every minute of it, heh) **SnowCharms** (he so is. I don't know, I took a lot of liberties, seeing as they've grown up and they're very different and Fuuko and Tokiya has a deeper history in this future than they did where the manga left off, and it made sense to me. I'll shut up now) **x.S a n c t u a r y** (OMG THROW CONFETTI AROUND YOU Yay for my 300th reviewer! And someone else who likes Mitsuki! So yay!) **abubi-chan **(ahahah, Fujikawa was such a fun character to write, I share your sentiments there about big men who are softies deep inside. And it was less about Mitsuki's chastity and more about vanity, I mean why would she settle for a man who doesn't want her one hundred percent?) **Autrevalse **(This is so weird because I was thinking of comics Jonah Jameson when I was describing him. Great minds. Hee! And wow, thank you turns red) **securt** (aw, thanks!) **Nils** (Oh surely, they shall be together again, shortly. You know me, I hate separating my favorite love pair for too long.) **mikaro **(the phone call was my absolute favorite thing to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much mikaro-chan!)

**Chapter Seventeen: Boys Do Fall In Love**

Fuuko ran from beneath the pastry shop's awning, her temporary shelter from the slight rain, to the passenger door of a red SVU. She opened the door jaggedly and threw her messenger bag and folders inside before climbing in.

"Thanks for picking me up," she said heavily as she wiped off the rainwater on her forehead with a damp paper towel.

"Yanagi said she'd take out onion rings from our weekly grocery list if I don't cart you around town for the rest of the week," Recca deadpanned.

"And here I thought you were doing this because we were such good friends," she teased as he started pulling out of the curb.

"Since when?" he said with a smirk. "I just hung out with you cause I wanted to see your boobies."

Fuuko laughed, used to his perverted jokes. "Whatever. Hey, wanna get lunch first before you drive me home?"

Recca's face turned serious. "Fuuko, I'm flattered but I have a wife at home."

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

"Although one time wouldn't hurt." Then he put one finger in his mouth and gave her a wet willy.

Fuuko squealed and threw her used paper towel at Recca. "That's gross!"

"You're such a girl," he gibed.

"I am a girl!"

"Not convincing anyone here buddy."

Fuuko punched his arm.

"Is that your reaction to everything?" he said with a wince.

She punched him again.

"I swear you like eat mercury for breakfast or something, you're freakishly strong," he said pitifully, rubbing his abused flesh.

"You discovered that just now?" Fuuko snorted. She opened her bag and took out her blackberry and a car charger then reached over and pulled the cigar lighter out of its receptacle.

"Hey, no smoking in my car," Recca warned.

"I'm not going to smoke dolt, I'm just going to charge my phone. I need to check my messages," she explained. She watched the orange light on the iron coil burn out before carefully placing the lighter on the dashboard before she plugged in her phone and car charger.

"Can't it wait 'til you get home?" Recca asked.

"I'm a very important person who needs to check her messages like every five seconds," she said while punching in some numbers. She put the phone on speaker and as if on cue the automated system announced 'You have 7 new messages.' "See."

She placed the phone on the dashboard and waited for the string of messages. She took out a compact to check on her make-up. 'Message no. 1'

"_Hey."_

Fuuko's hand froze, she could recognize that voice anywhere.

"_It's me...Mi-chan."_

Her hand reached out intent on pressing the clear key but Recca stilled her movement, as if he had read her thoughts. "Hear him out, Fuuko. He deserves that much."

"_I'm out to lunch with Mitsuki, from sales…"_

"That whore!"

Recca shushed her. "Cool down, he's not done yet."

"_I don't know why I'm telling you that. It's perfectly innocent, I promise."_

"See," Recca said with a cheeky grin.

"Innocent my ass," Fuuko muttered.

"Hey, you broke up with him, he doesn't have to answer to you," Recca admonished.

"Oh shut up."

"_I think she was hitting on me…but she got pissed off when I kept bringing you up. I don't mean to but I couldn't help it, she kept saying things that reminded me of you."_

Fuuko felt her heart tighten, all the air in her lungs rushing out of her.

"I don't think it was a coincidence though, just that everything reminds me of you."

She bit her fisted hand as she willed herself not to cry.

"_This fork reminds me of you, the way you eat your pasta, you wrap your lips around your fork so tightly, like vacuum and you let it slip out slowly like you don't want a single drop of sauce wasted." _

Recca had a feeling that his childhood friend had forgotten he was sitting there and didn't seem to notice that he'd driven around her block twice now.

"_The other day I couldn't sleep so I went into your room buried my nose in your pillow, it still smells like you, vanilla and jasmine. I dreamed of you that night, about that time we went to the park to feed the ducks, you were wearing that blue dress with the stars on it and you looked so beautiful."_

He watched her stare at her reflection on the tinted windows with glassy eyes. All this time his wife and Ganko had supported Fuuko in her decision, telling her she did the right thing in ending things...but maybe now it was dawning on Fuuko, maybe, she's seeing things the way Recca saw it from the start. She was the one who broke his heart.

"_I miss you, Fuuko. I miss my best friend."_

She broke down at that moment, completely unmindful that the man she once struggled so hard to believe in her strength as a fighter was seeing her so weak, so vulnerable.

"_I don't want to be without you anymore. Please tell me how do I get you back?"_

Recca wanted to comfort her, but there was a part of him that thought she deserved a little heartbreak. No matter how many times his wife had explained it to him, he couldn't understand how they could not see things from Tokiya's end.

"Say it."

Recca stepped on the break suddenly and turned to face his friend who had her face buried in her hands.

"Say what?" he feigned ignorance.

"Don't play dumb, Recca, you think I made a mistake. I see it every time you look at me like I'm this...this," she twisted her hands around looking for an intelligent term before giving up, "this person who made a mistake!"

Recca easily pulled over an empty street and put the car on park. "Fine, I think you made a mistake."

"It was for the best, okay," she cried out defensively, "I did it because I love him."

"Oh don't give me that bullshit," Recca burst out, unable to stop himself. For hours on end he heard nothing but Mikagami being the bad guy who couldn't see past himself, who couldn't see what he's putting Fuuko through, well it's about time she got a dose of reality the Recca way. "I've been hearing that lameass excuse all week and I know my wife, and my mother and Ganko and everyone else has been going on and on about how you were being a selfless fucking saint and all women should worship at the altar of your selflessness when the truth of the matter is you acted like a spoiled, self-centered bitch."

Fuuko gasped. It was hard for her to respond because Recca had never in his life vilified her for anything and here he was using such acerbic words and directing it all at her.

"How could you say that?" she rasped, her voice failing her.

Recca sighed and rubbed his temples with his thumb and middle fingers. "Look, Fuuko, I love you, you know that, but damn it you could've handled things a little better."

"How else do you expect me to handle it?!" she asked, her tone escalating.

"I don't know, all I know is, we've known Mikagami since we were sixteen and I don't need to tell you his story. Did you ever stop to think how much it took for him to get to the point to trust you so much? He loves you Fuuko, he gave you his heart and you just threw it back at him like it was nothing. All you thought about was yourself and your own childish fantasies of what your life should be like. You didn't even give him a chance," he said not unkindly.

"I gave him a choice," she reasoned.

"No, you gave him an ultimatum, and damn woman, men don't react well to ultimatums, it's in our genetic make-up," he said, a little humor seeping into his tone.

"What do you want me to do?" she said weakly.

"I'm not saying you should get back together with him or just forget about your own familial fantasies, but, fuck it, all I'm saying is, look at it from his side. He had a family once Fuuko and he lost it in the most tragic way someone could lose it. I just get why he'd be a little apprehensive about starting one of his own, and you being the closest to him, you should've been the one to understand best," Recca finished.

"What would you have done? If you were in my shoes and Yanagi told you she never wanted to marry you, never wanted to have children with you?" Fuuko asked neutrally.

He looked straight into her eyes and said without hesitation, "Nothing would've changed. Because when I said I loved her, I meant I loved her, just her. Not because she wanted to have my kids or anything. I wanted to be with her. You know, he's not some tool to fulfill fantasies you had of what life should be when you grew up, because when you love someone, there shouldn't be any clauses, otherwise you're just wasting your time."

...

Fuuko dragged her legs towards the front door of her home after Recca dropped her off. It was strange, in a way, that the one person they always deemed to insensitive and a bit on the shallow side would be the one to make her think things that should've occurred to her without prompting.

"Fuuko, is that you?"

Fuuko looked up and saw her mother coming out of the kitchen randomly carrying a bottle of ketchup and wearing a dress with a Pucci pattern.

"Hey Ma," she greeted listlessly.

"Are you okay? You're looking a little sick," she said, eying her damp hair and pasty skin.

Fuuko waved her off as she walked towards the empty couch. "I'm fine, I just need a hot shower and...Mama, am I selfish?"

Mrs. Kirisawa started rather comically. "Where did that come from?"

"Recca called me a self-centered bitch. Was I, Mama?" she asked as she sat on the couch and raised her knees to her chin.

Her mother huffed as she walked towards where her daughter was. She sat heavily beside her and placed her bottle of ketchup on the coffee table. "In a way, perhaps. But you were both being selfish, to be honest."

Fuuko nodded and blinked several times to get the water out of her eyes. She laid her head on her mother's bosom and wrapped her arms around her waist, needing to be ensconced in her warmth, seeking the comfort only a mother could give. "I miss him, Mama."

The Kirisawa matriarch combed her daughter's purple tresses with her fingers, an attempt to settle her heart. "Then maybe you should go see him."

"But what if he never wants to marry me? What if we never have 2.5 kids and a house in the suburbs?" she asked without any heart.

"Would you let him go for a something you've never known?" her mother returned.

"What about you, Mama? Doesn't every mother want grandkids?" she questioned, raising her head and looking into eyes that begot hers.

Mrs. Kirisawa tucked a loose tendril behind Fuuko's ear and gave her a bemused smile. "That's a myth, Fuuko. All a mother wants is for her children to be happy."

"Mama..."

"You can still catch the five o' clock bus."

...

Tokiya put Magda's Rolodex to work as he flipped through his contacts throughout the years. He had never been one to call on a favor from former clients, it was part of his work etiquette, but he figured just this once. He found the name he was looking for, a big-shot lawyer who worked at City Hall. His taxes were a mess before Tokiya came into his life and the man was known to exercise, if not abuse his connections. Tokiya knew it was such a little favor for someone who usually handled consequential contracts, but hell, he wanted to do things right. He ripped the card out, whispering a quiet apology to the absent Magda knowing she'd have his head for ruining her archaic contact look-up. He'd make it up to her by finally teaching her how to use her computer's business contact manager.

He looked at his watch and noted that it was a little after two o' clock. He was sure his boss was in his office having his afternoon tea. For such a successful businessman, that man sure took a lot of siesta time.

Tokiya jumped inside the elevator and pressed the number eleven, a floor above his own. The entire floor was where all the bosses held their offices. Cream colored walls and shiny black marble floors greeted him, an exact replica of the offices downstairs. Sheer glass panels separated the cubicles, signifying transparency in the office. He purposefully walked towards the largest room at the end of the walkway.

"Mikagami-san," Fujikawa's secretary greeted.

Tokiya nodded in acknowledgment. "Can I see him?"

The redhead put a finger up, a signal for him to wait, as she pressed some numbers on the phone beside her. "Fujikawa-sama, Mikagami-san is here to see you," she spoke into her headset.

After a quick second she turned to him and smiled. "Go right ahead."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile.

Tokiya entered the office smelling a strange mix of tobacco and Lysol. His boss sat on his imposing leather chair, the perennial cigar between his lips.

"What brings you here, Mikagami?" he asked roughly, the cigar never leaving his mouth. Tokiya mused to himself how he could do that, it has to be some sort of talent.

"I know it's short notice, but I'd like to take a leave," he said.

"How long?" his boss asked.

"Just until the end of the week. I'll be back Monday," Tokiya said surely.

"May I ask why?" Fujikawa asked with a hard to press grin.

Tokiya dropped his head and slipped his hand inside his pockets feeling uncharacteristically bashful. "She's my world."

Fujikawa grinned knowingly. "I'll accept that. But let's put personal emergency on the papers so those bitches at HR won't be asking questions."

Tokiya looked up a tinge of red on his cheeks. "Thank you."

He turned to leave when Fujikawa called to him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Never let anyone know that I let you take a leave on grounds of your love life, don't want the competition to find out that I'm a softie," he said with an impetuous smirk.

"You're secret's safe with me, sir," Tokiya promised with a chuckle.

...

Tokiya watched the heavy clouds above him and wondered if it was going to rain all night. He hoped for a drizzle and not an all out pour, a car accident wasn't part of his plans. He wrapped the collar of his jacket snugly around his neck, wary of the cold night. It was a little after nine, it took a while but he found it, exquisite and perfect, just like her. He'd ran around the city all day getting everything prepared. He never knew a piece of paper took so much work. In his head he started calculating his time. If he left now and drove all night, he'd get to her home at one. He wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. He decided to head home and pack a change of clothes. He'd decide then if he should leave right away or wait until morning.

Tokiya greeted the doorman before picking up his mail and her magazine subscriptions from the receptionist before walking towards the fire exit. He climbed up the steps two at a time, the elevator was busted. Thankfully their apartment building was only seven floors and they lived on the fourth. He headed towards their door, painted black and gold numbers hanging underneath the peephole. He slipped his key inside the keyhole and entered the empty and lonely space, a state he hoped would change soon.

He dropped the mail on the kitchen counter and took off his jacket, throwing it haphazardly on the back of a chair. It was dark, the moon the only source of light. He couldn't remember the last time he bothered to turn the lights on.

He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his linen shirt. He figured a shower first and then pack. He was leaning towards waiting in the morning, not sure if his eyes could stay open if he drove all night. Romantic leads in movies might not need sleep, but he did.

He walked inside his room ready to pass out on the bed, completely forsaking thoughts of a hot shower but then time stood still and somewhere out there music started playing again.

"Hi, Mi-chan."

_To be continued..._

**End Notes:** I was debating whether to put Recca or Domon in the Fuuko smackdown scene (Y'ALL HAVE BEEN SO HARD ON TOKIYA, GIVE THE BOY A BREAK, HEHE), it was going to be either of the two (standing up for their bros...okay let's forget about that moment right there) but then I figured Domon would never call Fuuko a bitch no matter what. And man, I just realized, as much as I love Fuuko's character, I have such a difficult time writing her. It's weird, I have no problems writing Tokiya (in fact I absolutely enjoy writing Tokiya) but Fuuko always gives me a hard time. No wonder Just As You Are was all in Tokiya's POV (and notice how it took no time for me to finish that).

**Next Chapter: **"Hungry Eyes" will be out soon-ish (hopefully next week). I'm excited because I'm near the end and at the same time apprehensive because I don't know if the plan is good or over the top and I really hope you enjoy it. TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO and this baby is done.

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! **


	18. Hungry Eyes

**Disclaimer: **FoR belongs to the amazing Anzai-sama. "Hungry Eyes" is by Eric Carmen, because Dirty Dancing is the best movie in the universe.

**Author's Notes: **I was so excited to write this. I feel so diaphanous right now. And I have the best reviewers in the world and I want to thank you all so much for your patience and appreciation. _**Thank you to: **_**Lyris** (Nah, Domon would've hit on her, hee) **SnowCharms **(I hope you like the ending I'm serving) **abubi-chan **(Thank you, love. Yay for Mi-chan sympathizers!) **Autrevalse **(I always enjoy reading your reviews, I'm glad you liked Recca here, I don't write him in as much but whenever I do I feel like I'm writing one of my friends, it's strange. And maybe kind of sad, hehe.) **mikaro **(the boy is a rocking inspirational speaker, hee) **Eirist **(Hee, two reviews, thank you. You're on the right track with that second one :D) **Kehai-chama **(Too true. Fujikawa is very happy you like him, although I personally don't know if I'd want to work with him if he were real) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (hee, there's not much Recca centric fics around here, ironic considering he's the hero of the anime, but I love him and the main reason for that is because of his devotion to Yanagi and that line was so him. While I love Mi-chan, Recca struck me as the character who'd be the most ideal boyfriend) **Nils **(Thank you, Fuuko gives me trouble still but I'm glad you like the way she's portrayed. And don't worry, Tokiya had been an ass, so the slight vitriol is not completely unwarranted, hee) **aki reinhart **(I'll be pm-ing you about the request. I don't mind at all, ASOC is about to end so I'm itching to jump to another universe) **securt **(Recca's definitely getting good reviews, I'm happy that you like the way he was written. Thanks so much for the review)

**WARNING:** It's intensely fluffy. But I love it anyway.

**Chapter Eighteen: Hungry Eyes**

It was just like her to offset his carefully laid plans. Here he was all ready to travel to her house and win her over like a cavalier prince (after a much-needed nap of course) only to find out his princess was already sitting on his bed, barefoot in an old t-shirt and ripped jeans.

"Hi."

In hindsight he could've said something more quixotic, something to sweep her off her feet, something to even write home about. But at that moment he found himself inexplicably breathless and maybe even a little brainless.

She bit her lower lip, her mouth twisting as if she wasn't sure what to do with it. She played with the frayed holes on the knees of her jeans and looked up at him with doe brown eyes. It was perhaps the length of time he was away from her but he never noticed before just how thick her lashes were. "How have you been?"

It felt like she was speaking from behind a bubble and it took him a moment to answer. "Terrible, without you."

It wasn't meant to guilt and he hoped she understood that.

She nodded and rested her chin on her knees. "I've been having the most horrible week too."

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that but it didn't matter, he smiled anyway. It was the best news he's had in a while.

"Did you get my message?" he asked, although he was pretty sure she already did.

Her lips quirked into an awkward smile. "Yes."

He let go of the doorknob that had warmed in his hand and walked slowly, almost cautiously, towards her. The bed shifted as he sat in the space in front of her, giving her a view of his profile. "Do you mind if I...if I hold you?" His cheeks burned at the simplicity of the request and at the quiver of his voice.

Her only answer was to kneel on the bed and wrap her arms around his neck, tightly and he was half afraid she was going to cut off his air supply but he was just too grateful that she was here and she was real that he couldn't really care less. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck and she sniffed and inhaled his scent, a mix of sweat, Nivea for men, aftershave and Bulgari Aqua. "I missed you too," she whispered against his skin, goosebumps rising in the wake of her breath.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her easily across his lap, knees on either side of his hips. A little shimmying and he had his back comfortably against his headboard, his girl securely wrapped in his arms. She had that distinct smell of someone who'd just come out of an airconditioned vehicle after several hours, cold, enclosed and like synthetic pine. But he didn't mind. They could always take a shower together. "I was going to see you, you know," he said in his quiet voice. He wondered why he was so calm when just a few hours ago his hands shook as he wrote his name on a piece of paper. Perhaps it was her presence that sedated him, weaving pleasant dreams around the synapses of his brain.

"I saved you the trip then," she said obviously. She shifted in his lap, slithering downwards until she could rest her head on his chest.

"I was going to tell you something," he confessed, whispering in her ear like he was sharing a scandalous gossip.

"Me too," she said.

"I get to go first," he claimed childishly as he stroked her purple hair and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Fuuko lifted her head as he leaned back further into his pillows, watching the swathes of moonlight on her face, highlighting the liquid brown of her eyes and soft pinkness of her lips. He indulged himself and just stared at her for a long moment; he missed her face. He didn't have any pictures of her, not in the apartment, not on his computer, not on his phone; it never crossed his mind that he'd ever need one. For a while he had feared that he would never see her face again. He leaned back on the bed further until he was flat on his back and her entire length was on top of him, the contours of their bodies meshing together like clay until no light could pass through them. His hands squeezed her round hips before intertwining on her lower back as she rested her chin on her arms which were settled on his broad chest.

"I had a fucked up childhood, but I'm sure you already know that," he started with a somber smile, blue grays staring intently at browns, telling them to listen closely and keep quiet, "My parents were murdered before I even had the chance to understand that they loved me, my sister was killed just when I was starting to discover what it's like to be happy again and when I was seventeen, I found out the only person I let myself trust was the one who took them all away."

He rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb as if erasing the frown he found there.

"I don't think you'd ever understand the pain of losing everything that ever meant anything in your life, of getting betrayed by the person you've come to know as your father and I pray to Kami that you'd never have to," he continued, "I promised myself that I'd never let anyone have such power to hurt me, because I honestly wasn't sure if I could stand to feel such pain again."

"Team Hokage was a crack of light in my rather dark existence, and I trusted you all with my life but I could only let you in so much. I really thought things were as good as they could ever be, I had people who had my back, people to call friends, I was okay and then you showed up at my door asking for a futon." He smiled at the memory of her, fresh out of college, hair styled like a boy's, wearing cargo pants, a white wife beater and military boots, a far cry from the woman who walked confidently in designer heels and tailored suits and dresses.

"For a long while, I was content the way we were. I had someone to split the bills with, to have inane adventures with when I'm bored, to split Chateaubriand steak with me," laughter bubbled from her mouth at that, "to make love to at night, to hold onto when I sleep. I had all that without ever having to give anything up, because you never asked for anything. I was content, Fuuko, but I only became happy when I finally admitted to myself that my heart, however little it may be, was irretrievably lost to you."

"When you ended things, I was so confused, I was seventeen all over again; alone in the world and betrayed by the one person I trusted. A small part of me hated you, because I relied on you to keep that light in my life that the boy in me craved for and you took it all away." There was guilt in his voice as he confessed his darker thoughts and his hands tightened around her form, subconsciously begging her to forgive him.

"Then a wise man, who had rather questionable morals...and who's a bit of a chauvinist, but wise nonetheless, he said something to me," he took a breath, "he said, when he fell in love with the right woman he stopped living a life for himself and made her his world."

Tokiya reached a hand out and tucked away the fringe falling on her eyes. "I had been so focused on my own happiness, I had never stopped to think if I made you happy."

Fuuko opened her mouth to speak but he immediately covered it with his hand. "I'm not done."

She huffed but relented as he started again.

"When you broke up with me, I lost everything again, but the big difference between now and then is that I have the chance to get it back."

He slipped a hand in his right pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled letter envelope.

"It still scares me, the idea of being a husband or a father. I'm afraid that I wouldn't know how to love them, wouldn't know how to protect them from the loneliness I felt as a child. But if I had you by my side, I think I'll be okay."

He flipped the top flap of the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment neatly folded into three sections.

"I was afraid of giving up all of myself to you because for the longest time, all I had was myself and I didn't want to be left with nothing. But I realized that it's too late for that, my life is already yours."

He untucked one end of the paper.

"Do with it what you will, but I only have one thing to ask of you in exchange."

He untucked the other end.

"I want to be the man to make you happy, the one to make sure you wish for nothing, want for nothing. I want to make you my world."

She gaped at him, her eyes shining in disbelief as she deciphered the fancy calligraphy on the crisp paper that he had unraveled. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts. She had come here so ready to throw away everything she had ever dreamed of if it meant being with him for all her days and now this. "Mi-chan...are you...what's this?"

He almost chuckled at her befuddlement but suppressed it with a grin. "If you sign right here," he pointed to a line on the lower left corner, "we just have to register this tomorrow morning at Tokyo City Hall and you'll be my lovely wife. So what do you say?"

"What? When? Where? And how?" she exclaimed, still reeling from the sudden turn of events.

"I knew some people, it was kind of hard to get all the paperwork done not to mention that the bride in question was absent but a little red tape goes a long way," he explained, and then added quietly, "and all the women at the Marriage Officer's office thought it was romantic."

"Oh Kami, it's real, it has your name and my name. And the city's seal!" she cried as she traced the black ink of her name in kanji.

Tokiya grimaced. "Um, Fuuko, I'm getting a little nervous here and I'm half afraid I just made a fool of myself."

"What?" And it only then occurred to her that she had never answered his question and she had giggle at the skittish look on his face. "Oh Kami, yes, a million times yes. How can you even think I'd ever say no?"

He grinned triumphantly, acting as if he wasn't nervous just a moment before, and set the marriage form on the night table. And finally, finally he kissed her.

"Wait, you never told me why you're here," he said, breathing heavily as he pulled away from her sweet lips.

She gave him this ironic smile, eyes fluttering shyly. "I was going to beg you to take me back."

Tokiya smirked at the thought that he had her before he even opened his mouth. He flipped them over so she reclined on the soft sheets, their legs intertwined, his weight comfortably resting on top of her, just the way it should be. He leaned his head down and rubbed his nose against hers. "You'll never have to beg with me."

He kissed her again with every intent to make it last. He angled her head to the left while his turned to the right so he could deepen the kiss, tasting the succulent mouth he'd been deprived of for much too long. His hands traced her cheeks, to her throat, down the sides of her breast before finally settling on her hips. Her hands, which missed him as much, wandered down his body, feeling the muscles rippling underneath the suave fabric of his shirt, it traveled down until it reached his belt, tracing the metal buckle with dainty hands.

"Baby, wait," he pulled back suddenly, her mouth following his before she realized that he'd spoken at all.

Fuuko scrunched her face in askance.

"There's one more thing I forgot," he said sweetly, then he leaned down placing his lips right next to her ear and soft puffing breaths whispered, "it's inside my pocket and it's hard and heavy. Get it for me?"

She slapped his arm and with an exasperated groan said, "We're having such a romantic moment! Why do you have to say something so...salacious?"

He chuckled at the puffiness of her cheeks. "You have a dirty mind, Fuuko. It's not what you think."

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Come on, humor me," he urged with a naughty smirk.

Her hand crept towards his pocket. "If it turns out to be perverted I'll give you a beating," she warned him. She dug her hands deeper inside the pocket of his wool trousers, she was half convinced that there was nothing until her fingers felt smooth velvet, she prodded at it until it was in her hand, her fist unable to close around it. She pulled it out swiftly and looked down at the prize in her hand, a blue velvet box.

"Open it," he encouraged.

She gingerly lifted the cover and the box snapped open making her jump. Inside she saw two rings, one significantly bigger than the other. They were simple bands made of platinum, adorned with tiny diamonds on one crescent side.

He took out the smaller one and angled it so she could the see the engraving on the inside ring. "Water," he said reverently before taking her left hand in his and slipping it on her ring finger.

She smiled up at him before following his example, taking out the bigger ring, tilting it to read the kanji inside, though she already knew what it would be. "Wind."

He gave her a roguish wink before giving her his left hand to let her put it on him. She stared at his hands for a moment before saying, "Go Captain Planet?"

Tokiya snorted uncontrollably. "Now who's ruining the romantic moment?"

...

They caught their breaths as they held each other tightly under the sheets, sweat glistened on their skins and fused their bodies closer. He pulled her against him, hands right on the rise of her bottom, pressing her ample breasts against his lean form and swung a leg over her hip as she snuggled her head on his chest and breathed heavily on his neck.

"I definitely missed that," he said huskily as he pressed kisses on the side of her face.

"I don't think I'd be able to move for a while," she said in manner that told him she didn't mind it at all. "I think the honeymoon was supposed to come after the wedding."

"Well I think I was supposed ask you out first before we fucked, but we don't do things traditionally, do we?" he teased.

She grinned and placed a kiss on his chest. "No, traditions are for boring people."

He chuckled. "Too true, and my baby is anything but boring," he joshed. "Does this mean you don't want a big circus of a wedding?" he asked seriously.

She shook her head. "I know you hate crowds and big events, you'd probably try to murder the guests. The City Hall is perfect for us," she said sincerely.

He tilted her chin upwards. "I meant it Fuuko, I'd do everything to make you happy. If you want a huge, fancy wedding, I'd go through tha-" but she cut him off with a wet kiss.

"And I want you to understand that it isn't all about me. It's about us. I want a marriage with you and I want to make you happy too," she told him.

"Then just promise me, you'll love me for the rest of my life," he said.

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "I'll love you for the rest of mine."

...

Fuuko walked out to the living room feeling rather shy. She had wanted to stick to at least one tradition for her abrupt wedding but she was second guessing her decision now that she was wearing the only outfit she had in white. It was tight stretch cotton tube dress that stopped three inches above her knees and would've looked decent on a flat chested girl but on her it looked positively scandalous. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate for City Hall. Or daylight for that matter.

She found her husband to be sitting on the couch, making certain that their marriage forms were in order. She cleared her throat and he looked up. The expression on his face was of pure amazement.

"I am the luckiest groom in the world," he drawled.

His reaction was just so...male, that she had to roll her eyes. "I think I'm going to change into something that covers more than twenty percent of my skin."

He stood up so quickly he almost knocked over his coffee cup and rushed to her side. "No, no, no, we're going to be late."

"But Mi-chan, I look-"

"Beautiful," he cut her off and he kissed her forehead, "and sexy," he amended with a kiss to her nose, "and even if you wore a potato sack you'd still look beautiful and sexy so there's really no point in chaging."

She laughed at his cheesy attempt to convince her not to trade in her clothes for something that was longer and showed less cleavage. "Fine, let's go get married."

...

Fuuko and Tokiya watched as the graying Marriage Officer studied the papers of their marriage form with clammy hands very, very slowly. He licked his index finger every time he would move to the next page and his mouth moved lethargically as he silently read the information written there, even though Tokiya was certain he had already memorized it by heart. The way he looked he'd probably have been working here for the last two hundred years. He looked up at them and adjusted the thick rim of his glasses on his nose and then cleared his throat for a full minute before he said, "You need two witnesses."

"They should be here any second," Tokiya quickly answered.

As if on cue, the glass doors swung open. Dressed in a double breasted brown suit, a matching grosgrain hat and of course a cigar in his mouth (_Is smoking allowed in the building, Tokiya thought for a moment_), Fujikawa-sama looked like he was about to take City Hall hostage in exchange for all of the city's virgins instead of standing witness to his favorite employee's (the man has nothing against blatant favoritism) unplanned wedding.

"Speaking of," Tokiya said with a hesitant smile.

Fujikawa walked up to the two of them in fierce strides. He looked the bride up and down shamelessly and Tokiya thought perhaps he should have let her change. "Arrest this woman! She's a walking felony!"

Fuuko laughed awkwardly. "You are too sweet, Fujikawa-sama."

The CEO put an arm around Fuuko's shoulder and pulled her away from Tokiya's grasp. "If he hadn't take his head out of his ass I would've taken you for myself!"

"Aren't you married, sir?"

"Shut your mouth up, boy."

Tokiya only shook his head with an amused smirk on his face before surreptitiously reclaiming hold of Fuuko.

The Marriage Officer cleared his throat once again to gain their attention. "You're going to need another witness."

"I'm here, I'm here!" a female screech came right when the doors swung open a second time.

Tokiya looked at the newcomer gratefully. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem at all, Tokiya-kun. Anything for a friend," she said sweetly. "Hello Fuuko-san."

"Hi Mitsuki," Fuuko said through a tight smile and then glanced at the tall man beside her, "from sales."

Tokiya grimaced as Fuuko gripped his arm enough to stop the blood circulation. "She was the only other person who answered her phone at six in the morning," he whispered in explanation.

"You have her number?" she hissed.

"Did I tell you I love you today?" he tried to appease her.

"Ahem."

Fuuko turned back to their witnesses with a neutral face.

"I know I'm not exactly the most ideal witness to your wedding, since we met only once and I tried to get with your boyfriend just yesterday," Mitsuki said with a bald-faced smile, "so consider this a peace offering." She took out a thin lace veil and handed it to Fuuko. "Could be your something borrowed."

Fuuko gulped feeling rather embarrassed about thinking the worst of the girl. "Thank you, it's really nice. Whose is it?"

"My roommate, he's a professional cross dresser and he went as Britney Spears circa her wedding to Kevin Federline for Halloween last year," she explained.

Fuuko pursed her lips. "Okay."

Tokiya pried it from her hands and politely returned it to Mitsuki. "I think we're good without the veil."

The Marriage Officer cleared his throat a third time before enunciating slowly, "Other people would like to get married today."

"Right, of course," Tokiya said in a rush as he guided Fuuko forward towards the decrepit man's desk.

"If you would sign here, young lady," he instructed, handing Fuuko a pen. She signed her name with a clean stroke before giving the pen to Tokiya.

Tokiya leaned down to sign his name in the appropriate line but before he could she placed a hand on his arm, stalling him. He looked up to her in askance.

Fuuko swallowed the lump in her throat. "I just wanted you to know, that even if you had never done this, that I would've still come back to you and stayed with you and loved you for the rest of my life with no regrets."

He smiled a rare smile, one filled with pure, unadulterated happiness that made her feel weightless. His intense blue gray eyes never left her face as he signed his name on the little piece of paper that proclaimed to the world that they belonged to each other.

He was vaguely aware that the grouchy officer asked their witnesses to sign their names while they shuffled around the couple to approach the desk.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mikagami."

But Tokiya was no longer listening. He was much too busy kissing his wife.

**Owari**

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER REVIEWED THIS STORY OR CLICKED OR PUT IT IN THEIR FAVORITES! **

**It has been one hell of a ride. There was a point that I started questioning if I could finish this fic because it gave me such a headache but I'm glad I stuck with it and writing this chapter just made me so happy.**

**I do plan on writing an Epilogue because I don't like leaving things open and I would like to share with you guys what happens in their future. But technically, this baby is done.**

**Final Notes:** I did research a bit about getting married in Japan. I'm not sure if I have all the technicalities straight but from what I've learned, you just need to fill up the marriage form (and present proper documents, birth certificate etc.) and register it with the Marriage Officer plus two witnesses and voila, you're married.

**THANKS FOR READING AND GIVE THE REVIEW BUTTON ONE LAST TANGO.**


	19. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this took a while to come out but I hope you enjoy the little epilogue. I changed the POV to first person, I hope it's not too jarring but I sort of treated it like a separate piece from the whole story. So yeah, again, I hope you like it. _**I WANT TO THANK ALL MY REVIEWERS!**_ **EiRist** (Yay first reviewer! Thanks so much for your support from the start. I hope you like the epilogue I'm serving. Ack, the lemon, in the future? Heh) **Autrevalse** (Thank you, I don't think I could say much more. Sometimes really good feedback bothers me because I'm afraid to disappoint with the next chapter so here's to hoping you like the epilogue. And what you said about Mikagami, just AMEN, I think that's why I've always been fascinated with the character and why I always subconsciously choose to write about him more than any other character because I think, despite the maturity he has exhibited, he hadn't quite grown out of that little boy who lost his sister and even if I found his earlier actions in the manga rather weird, my heart always went out to him. Yes, my next fic, definitely, hee.) **abubi-chan **(Thank you, I thought the rings were too cheesy to be honest and I felt the need to insert a little humor because I couldn't stand it myself...haha) **cygnet411 **(Thank you, I think there was a misunderstanding, I said I would write an epilogue. Hope you are happy with this :D) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (Thank you! And thank you for reading to the end!) **mikaro** (Thanks, I'm glad you liked that wedding) **securt **(Aw, thanks, and yes, I made sure to write an epilogue ) **asianpearl** (Thank you! Thanks for sticking to the end and hope to see you on the next fic!) **Mrs. Hatake Itachi **(Thanks) **Nils **(That's what love can doooo...hehe. Well, I wanted them both to give up something, in a way. Glad you liked it, thanks!) **shalei** (Aw, don't we all want our own Mi-chan? Thanks so much for reading!) **malo **(I missed you! Hee! No worries, I'm glad you liked the last few chapters, see you on the next fic) **Lyris** (OMG, that never occurred to me but it would be so perfect! I wanted to write it in but just couldn't find the opportunity to since this part was very ToFuu centric.) **cLe **(Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the read! Hope you'll stick around for the next story) **SnowCharms** (The epilogue is coming out now! Heh. Well, it was too late to introduce another character and I thought it was amusing) **aki reinhart **(Hon, sorry about not replying earlier. You know, I'm really interested but I've never read Twilight so I'm not that familiar with the subject. I'm borrowing a friend's book this weekend, who knows it might inspire me, hee.)

**Epilogue**

It wasn't easy being married.

Our relationship leading up to our marriage all developed under the contained environment of our childhood hometown with just our very close friends and family to witness it. It never occurred to us how much our dynamics would change once we got back to our normal day to day lives. I don't think she ever realized that I could act like such a possessive prick (her words, I thought it was within my rights as her husband to forbid her to talk to anyone without a Y chromosome that wasn't her relative or named Domon and Recca.) And I never thought that she could be so demanding and just damn bossy.

We fought about her work, my work. She hated that I did a lot of overtime and I hated that she still went to parties, it doesn't matter to me that they were work related. There was a time when she refused to talk to me for a whole week when she found out that Mitsuki was moved to my department and had to work directly under me. She yelled about not telling her sooner, I personally thought it was a non-issue. She had no reason to be insecure of the woman, I married her for Kami's sake. She yelled at me more after I said that. It took a lot of groveling and begging and reminding her just how much I loved her and it was worth it in the end. Make-up sex was the best.

We fought about which room we'd take up. My room had the bigger floor space and hers had the bigger closet. In the end I realized the only thing that mattered to me was having a nice big bed so I gave in. And then we fought about what to do with the spare room that we now had. She wanted a guest room for when family and friends visited and I wanted a library. I argued that she needed a home office as well and since we're already moving into her room she decided to give way.

But our biggest hurdle was the unspoken dilemma of children. I had told her that I would do anything to make her happy but I had to admit I was still apprehensive about starting a family so I decided I'd just wait for her to bring it up but she was too afraid to upset our careful balance that she would not dare broach the subject. It created an awkward tension between us, especially whenever someone asked us about when Fuuko would start churning out little Mikagamis. It made me squirm when she looked up at me hopefully and that despondent look she'd take on when I would just shrug and laugh awkwardly.

On Christmas that year we went to visit her family again. Recca and Yanagi had just given birth to their first child, a baby boy they named Kurei, after Recca's half brother, who would have his name but not his life. It was, I suppose, Recca's own way of correcting the past. The first time Fuuko held the tiny thing in her arms, it was just, beautiful. It was a different kind of happiness that I saw in her, it was calm and innocent much like an undisturbed deep sleep.

When we went back to Tokyo I told her that maybe, she shouldn't get her DPV shot on the tenth. She smiled and said okay.

Unfortunately things had not gone smoothly from there. The first six months, we chalked it up to her contraceptive not wearing off immediately but when a year had passed and we remained childless she started to panic. The next year was grueling as she slipped into bouts of depression with every time that her monthly cycle would come. I've never felt so helpless as I did when all I could do was hold her and tell her that we'll keep trying. Our doctors told us that there was nothing wrong with either of us, it could possibly be just stress. We did everything they told us, she quit smoking and alcohol altogether and we both cut back on our work hours. She even kept a calendar and used an ovulation kit, although I thought it was unnecessary since we had sex all the time and it kind of put a damper on things when she scheduled our bedroom time and insisted that we lay off the more experimental positions and stick to missionary. Two years we tried and the fights got so bad sometimes that I would stay out all night or she would drive for four hours back to her mother. It created chasm between us. We had to constantly remind each other and ourselves the love that we had between us just to keep our marriage afloat, though I never doubted in my mind that we'd ever part, I would never allow it. But in the end all our hard work paid off. It was two days after Christmas and we were in the same exact spot we had been just three years before, in her mother's living room a pregnancy test between us. Except this time, we were both praying for the same thing.

She quietly asked me to look, and though she didn't say it, I knew she wouldn't have been able to handle it if it came up negative yet again. I calmly look at the stick and stupidly asked, "So what does two lines mean?"

She squealed and tackled me until onto the floor, arms and legs wrapped tightly around my body. I knew immediately, I was going to be a father, and I was just too happy to see that smile on her face again that it never occurred to me to be nervous about it.

We decided then and there to move back to Nashikiri. We wanted to raise our little family in our hometown near our friends and loved ones. In all our years spent in Tokyo, we had remained strangers to the city, and I wanted my child to grow up where there was warmth. I wanted him to have a home.

Fujikawa-sama was supportive though a bit disappointed, he said his sons were useless and was hoping to groom me as his successor. He offered recommendations to several of his colleagues but I turned it down. I had been a frugal man and smart about my money and decided to invest in Recca's fireworks company. My once rival had been efficient but he lacked enough business acumen to expand his investment and that was where I came in.

Fuuko resigned from her work and I had encouraged her to cease working for the duration of her pregnancy. And though she protested because she never liked to depend on other people for money (even if I was her husband and traditionally was expected to be the provider, not that she believed any of that bullshit) I knew she wanted the same thing. She wanted to be careful, I did too. We were both afraid that our little blessing might be taken away from us.

We bought a house in one of the newer subdivisions in Nashikiri, fifteen minutes away from her old home. It was a nice neighborhood with trees, fresh air and little traffic. We had finally settled in our new home on her fifth month of pregnancy. Our last night in our old apartment was bittersweet. We had met each other when she was sixteen and I was seventeen but this place was where we began to know the other. She had been so careful that she refused to let me touch her ever since we found out that we were pregnant for fear of hurting the baby (even though her doctor told her it was perfectly fine, silly woman) but that night we made love on a futon in my old bedroom, it was intense yet slow and tender, partly because we were both mindful of her already large belly and partly because we wanted our last night together in our apartment to be different from our first time together which was rushed and chaotic and we were both just confused and looking for release, taking what we could get from the other. That night I also discovered that making love to your pregnant wife was an immense turn on. She had the hardest time fending me off for the next four months, but I knew she didn't mind it as much as she said she did. After all, she could've easily punched me unconscious but she let me seduce her instead.

After twelve hours of labor, our son was born on September 23rd fourteen minutes past noon. He had my hair and my eyes, an exact replica of me and my father before me. She would teasingly berate me about the strength of my genes, too selfish to even let one of her physical traits prevail, but I knew she was glad her son would grow up to be as handsome as his father. Don't look at me like that now, you think so too.

The doctors advised us against more children, there was a gash in her uterus and it was simply too dangerous for her. I had expected it, after all our difficulty to conceive, I knew that there had to be a reason for it.

It broke our hearts a little. She had always wanted a large family and I now realized that I wanted a girl with her eyes. But in the end, we were too thankful for our little boy and it would be selfish to ask for more. We named him Toshiharu after my father. He had his father's looks and his mother's courage. I couldn't have been a prouder father.

Hanabishi Fireworks expanded to Tokyo and three years after that we opened a branch in Hong Kong. Fuuko eventually took over Maina's post as director for Little Angels. It was the perfect work for someone with as big a heart as her. And Toshiharu grew up happy, if not a little spoiled. Fuuko chastises me for giving into his caprice too easy, but I can't help it. I suppose I overcompensate at times but I just wanted to make sure that my son would never know what it was like to be deprived and lonely like I did. Unlike me or Fuuko, he had a lot of friends at school and rarely got into trouble. I tried to get him into kendo but he preferred his Uncle Recca's ninja tricks. Ah, when he grows up he'll realize his father's sport was much cooler.

As for Fuuko and me, I didn't think I could fall any more in love with her than I did when we got married. I was proven wrong each and every day I spent with her.

Today I am coming home after two months away from my beloved. Our Hong Kong branch was going under due to mismanagement and I was needed to make sure that didn't happen. Recca would've flown over but Yanagi was pregnant (again) and into her last trimester and he didn't want to leave her. This was the first time Fuuko and I had been separated in our nine years of marriage and needless to say, it was very trying.

I dragged my trolley behind me while looking for my wife in the crowd. It didn't take me long to spot her, in dark blue jeans, a sexy black satin tank top and deadly looking heels, tiptoeing and trying to see over the mass of heads between us. God she was gorgeous, pushing forty but she still had the ability to make men of all ages turn their heads. I hadn't remembered her being so tiny, but it was for the best because I love the feeling of hovering over her petite form. She had finally seen me after the melee of bodies had cleared. I let go of my trolley and with a smirk made a come hither signal with my hand. She didn't hesitate to run to me at break neck speed before jumping up and wrapping her legs around my waist and arms around my neck. I stumbled back a bit in surprise but immediately put a hand on her bum to support her weight while my other hand tangled in her hair before we met for a kiss that we've been denied for much too long. I decided then and there never to be gone for as long as I have been.

"I missed you so much," she whispered as I continued to kiss her neck before going back to her lips and bringing my tongue out to explore her mouth.

"Me too, baby, me too," I moaned against her ear as I held her thighs tightly around my hips, unmindful of the whispers and looks of the other people at the airport. I've never been one for propriety anyway.

"Next time, you're taking me with you, we'll dump Haru-chan at Mama's," she decided before kissing me again.

"There won't be a next time baby, never again," I promised her as my hands traveled down to her ass and squeezed. I think the old man behind me just had a heart attack.

She gasped but didn't mind my rather salacious actions, it's not like we'll ever see any of these people again. "Let's go, we have to pick up Haru-chan from Mama's," she said as I started kissing down her throat.

"Call Mama, tell her Haru's spending the night," I instructed, "Daddy needs to be home tonight," I whispered huskily. She nodded with a matching smirk on her face. I didn't let her down, instead swinging her so she hung on my side like a baby, legs still dangling from around my hips as we walked out to where she had the car parked.

That night I had the best welcome home of my life. Nine months later I finally had a little girl with her eyes.

**Owari**

_(for real now)_

I just wanted to thank everyone again for the support. Y'all are the best. For my next story, I started a survey on my Y!Groups on what story I should run next and this one won:

**Untitled AU fic -** Not set in a specific era or place in Japan. The Hokage family of ninjas are considered royalty of the highest orders. The one next in line to the title of Leader and lone flamecaster Recca has forever been in love with the shy healer Yanagi but she was promised to someone else even before she was born. His best friend/army leader Fuuko thinks he's crazy but finds ways to get them together. Yanagi's fiancée Tokiya thinks the world of the girl, but somehow he finds himself searching for the company of a violent purple haired soldier all the time. Domon just wants someone to notice him. And in the midst of this love square plus one the bastard child of the current leader, Kurei, is hellbent on taking what he thinks is rightfully his.

If you have any suggestions for a title, drop me a line. See you on the next fic! Cheers!

**THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


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